Guangdong Province Releases Standards for High Temperature Allowance

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Jun. 25 – According to a circular released by the Guangdong Human Resource and Social Security Bureau on June 4, employers in Guangdong Province shall pay a high temperature allowance to employees working under extremely hot temperatures from June to October.

The circular provides that, for employers that arrange employees to work outdoors in temperatures at or above 35℃ and employers that fail to take effective measures to lower the temperature of indoor workplaces to below 33℃, they shall pay the high temperature allowance to such employees from June to October on a monthly basis.

The standard for high temperature allowance is RMB150 per month per person or RMB6.9 per person per day. The paying record of the allowance shall be kept for at least two years and the burden of proof lies on the employer if related disputes arise.

Moreover, employers shall provide employees working under “high temperatures” with cooling beverages, and the costs of such beverages cannot be used to offset the high temperature allowance.

Penalties

Where an employer violates the relevant regulations and fails to pay a high temperature allowance to an employee, the employee may file a complaint with the competent local human resource and social security department above the county level. The employer will face a fine ranging from RMB2,000 to RMB10,000 if it fails to rectify within the designated time after being warned by the competent authorities.

In case of a dispute between the parties over high temperature allowance payments, the employee may resolve the dispute through labor dispute settlement procedures.

Adjustment of Working Hours

According to the High Temperature Labor Protection Measures of Guangdong Province, employers shall adjust the working hours accordingly under hot weather, specifically:

  • Where the maximum daily temperature reaches 39℃ or higher, outdoor operations shall be suspended on that day;
  • Where the maximum daily temperature reaches 37℃ or above, but below 39℃, the employer shall not arrange employees to work outdoors for more than 6 hours on that day, and outdoor operations shall be suspended between 12:00 noon and 16:00 in the afternoon;
  • Where the maximum daily temperature reaches 35℃ or above but below 37℃, the employer shall adopt methods to shorten the continuous operation hours and shall not arrange employees to work overtime.

Moreover, the employer shall not arrange pregnant employees and minors to work outdoors under hot temperature at or above 35℃ or work in a workplace with temperatures at or above 33℃.

In addition, the employer shall not deduct or reduce the wages of employees due to the suspension of work or the shortening of working hours as a result of hot weather.

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