Shipyard workers in Perama, a town 16km from Athens, halted operations for five hours yesterday as crushing heat hit the Mediterranean nation, now struggling amid its third and longest heatwave of the summer.
Temperatures soared past 40C, reaching a peak of 44C in the west yesterday, ahead of a forecast drop coming today.
Those building and repairing vessels in the Piraeus Port Authority’s repair zone faced particularly difficult conditions, working in the heat and amid the flames of welding tools.
“The last few summers have become very difficult. The temperature is rising, our working environment is becoming even more difficult, and as a result we have several colleagues with health problems due to this work and the heat,” said Danil Polatsidis, an electrician at Perama shipyard.
Greece this week imposed a temporary ban on outdoor work for shipyard workers, builders, couriers and other labourers across several areas from midday until 5pm. Workers in Perama stuck to that directive, with the president of the Perama shipbuilding and repair zone Vasilis Kannakakis underlining the need for adaptation to the increasingly high temperatures.
“These temperatures, as we can see, are something we must learn to live with from now on,” Kannakakis said. “This means we need to adapt in some way so that workers are not strained by the high temperatures, while still being able to have the production that is needed, and to be reliable in our time and obligations.”
Hot and dry summers have been common in Greece but heatwaves have become more frequent and intense in recent years.
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