British holidaymakers heading to Spain this summer could find their favourite bar terraces closed.
Bars and restaurants have been given new obligations to protect staff from extreme heat – including potentially suspending outdoor service when conditions become unsafe. The changes have come into force following an amendment to Spain’s VI National Labour Agreement for the Hospitality Sector, known as ALEH. The agreement was signed in April by unions FeSMC-UGT and CCOO Servicios and employers’ organisations Hostelería de España and CEHAT.
It brings climate-related risks into workplace safety planning across the hospitality industry, with businesses required to assess the dangers faced by workers during extreme weather.
The issue is particularly important in Spain, where temperatures can soar above 40C during heatwaves and thousands of hospitality workers spend long periods serving customers outdoors.
The new rules do not mean every Spanish terrace must automatically close whenever a heatwave strikes. Tourinews reported that Hostelería de España had stressed: “The text does not establish an automatic closure of terraces.”
Instead, businesses must assess the risks to workers and take measures to make working conditions safe, reports Mundo Deportivo.
These could include providing shade and cooling, changing working hours to avoid the hottest part of the day, rotating staff, reducing exposure and temporarily stopping particular tasks. Where those measures are not enough to protect workers, outdoor operations can be suspended.
Hostelería de España told Tourinews that during an extreme heatwave, closing a terrace would in any case often be the practical response because there would normally be few customers.
What does it mean for holidaymakers?
The rules could affect the traditional Spanish holiday experience of sitting outside with a cold drink or meal during the hottest part of the day. A terrace without adequate protection could be closed during a period of serious weather risk, while the establishment continues serving customers indoors.
The new agreement specifically requires businesses to incorporate risks from adverse weather and natural disasters into their occupational risk prevention measures.
Official weather alerts, including those issued by Spain’s State Meteorological Agency, AEMET, can be an important trigger for employers to review working conditions. Measures can include changing shifts, altering opening arrangements, providing cooling or stopping outdoor work during the most dangerous periods.
Fines warning
Employers who fail to protect workers from dangerous conditions can face action from Spain’s Labour Inspectorate. Spanish newspaper Diario de Avisos previously reported that employers could face fines of up to €50,000 for requiring staff to work outside during serious weather alerts without adequate protection.
The measures are aimed at protecting workers rather than restricting tourists’ access to terraces. And the organisations behind the agreement have presented the changes as part of a wider attempt to modernise working conditions across Spain’s huge hospitality sector.
In their official announcement, the four signatories said: “This milestone not only highlights the progress made through social dialogue, but also reaffirms the commitment of the signatory organisations to continue strengthening a model of collective bargaining that guarantees rights, stability and progress for workers and businesses in the sector.”
The changes come as Spain adapts its workplace regulations to increasingly serious risks from extreme weather.
This story originally appeared on Express.co.uk
