Temperatures reached almost 47C in southern Italy on Wednesday and factory workers threatened to strike over the extreme heat.
The extreme heat caused by the Cerebus and Charon heatwaves in Italy is causing concern amongst workers and the vulnerable. Factory workers are threatening to strike over the potentially dangerous working conditions.
Italy’s health minister, Orazio Schillaci, said an information line would be activated amid concerns about deaths from heat-related illnesses. There have been two recorded heat-related deaths. A man in his 60s is believed to have died after fainting in his bakery near the northern city of Padua. Last week, a 44-year-old road worker died in Milan.
“You can protect yourself against the heat in a major way by drinking lots of water, opting for a diet based on vegetables and fresh fruit and avoiding excessive consumption of fatty foods and alcohol,” Schillaci said. “Special attention should be paid to the most fragile, elderly and children.”
Sicily feeling the heat
In Sicily, where the European record of 48.8C was registered in August 2021, the mercury climbed to almost 47C in the area between Mazara del Vallo, in the province of Trapani, and Sciacca, in Agrigento province, according to data from ilMeteo.it. Temperatures in Sardinia reached 46C.
Rome suffered energy blackouts on Tuesday due to pressure on the grid believed to be from air conditioners. The temperature there rose to 38C.
The carmaker Stellantis said it was monitoring the situation at its Pomigliano d’Arco plant near Naples. The company sent workers home on Tuesday as it was too hot to work.
Central Italy also suffering
Meanwhile, workers at Magneti Marelli threatened an eight-hour strike at a plant in Sulmona, in the central Abruzzo region. A statement from unions said the “asphyxiating heat is putting the lives of workers at risk”.
Unions are also expressing concern for agricultural workers and construction workers. Farm workers in Marsica, Abruzzo, are working 4am-11am shifts to avoid the hottest hours of the day.
Tour Guides have also been having a difficult time, with tour group members falling ill or fainting from the heat. Last week, an English tourist collapsed outside the Colosseum in Rome.
