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Epidemic: Strong pressure to reopen construction sites – News Geneva: Geneva news

“With the virus, erecting scaffolding is irresponsible. We fail to respect the measures to protect ourselves from the epidemic. We send the workers to the pipe-breaker. ” Camille Layat is a trade unionist at SIT. On Wednesday morning, she and her colleagues led an intervention at the entrance to a scaffolding erection company. His union is calling for a complete halt to this type of work. Not without difficulty.

The virus has a merit, that of uniting the bosses and the Geneva unions on the same position: the stop of the building sites. Because, according to them, it is not possible to enforce the measures to avoid contamination. The Council of State first endorsed this doctrine, but had to back down last Wednesday to comply with that of the Federal Council. In Bern, it is estimated that the building can work, provided that sanitary measures are taken.

Since last week, the resumption of work has been on the agenda in the canton and has raised tensions. Especially in this scaffolding company visited by SIT. “Tuesday morning, around twenty employees were called back by the boss,” said Camille Layat. A dozen of them refused to work because the sanitary measures were not respected. ” She mentions transport carried out with several workers in the same vehicle or the absence of disinfectant products. “Besides, how do you expect the workers to stand two meters apart on the footbridge of a scaffolding? questions Camille Layat. And how can you avoid not touching the same tools and the same mounting parts? ”

Unions are not alone at the front. The employers also complain of the pressures that the owners exert on the companies so that they resume work. The financial interests, we imagine, are immense.

Laurent Stucki runs a sealing and tinsmithing business in Carouge. Most of its workers are unemployed. “Of course we would like to work. But we must guarantee the safety of our employees. However, nobody seems to want to take responsibility for the risks that this entails and everything is passed on to us. ”

If some small jobs could be carried out, it is not the case for most which require to work in team, especially on the roofs. Travel by several in a van is also limited. As for the dining rooms, they are not suitable because they are too small. “We are told to go around, but we can’t get workers to eat at 10 a.m. and the others at 2 p.m.”

Reduced yield

According to him, all these inconveniences linked to the sanitary measures to respect can decrease the yield up to 25%. Who will pay? “That’s the whole question,” replied the boss. According to customary contracts, the company could claim compensation from the contracting authority due to the exceptional nature of the epidemic, but all this is still difficult to quantify and the situation remains unclear. Besides, who will take responsibility for a death linked to the virus? No one has the guts to say it. “

Laurent Stucki deeply deplores the position of the Federal Council. “He misunderstands construction work and it pisses me off that workers are made to work while white-collar workers telecommute at home.”

For the time being, however, the opening of the sites is done in a dropper. The owners must announce them to the Building Authorization Office (OAC) and certify that the sanitary measures will be respected. Until Tuesday evening, the OAC recorded 170 announcements of reopening. “Almost all relate to minor works of the second work, such as painting,” says its director, Saskia Dufresne.

The latter mobilized a dozen inspectors and carried out around 40 visits. “We have already closed three sites with immediate effect. We are strict, while acting with common sense. ”

No resumption of large construction sites has yet taken place. No doubt because this requires great coordination efforts between the trades. But the tension is no less intense. Given the financial interests at stake, everyone, companies or those responsible for the order, seeks to cover themselves as best as possible so as not to have to absorb losses at the time of the final statement.

Created: 01.04.2020, 10 p.m.

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