The Unione Sindacale di Base (USB), a major trade union organization based in Italy, has formally announced a labor dispute over dangerous conditions for museum workers in Venice. Labor conditions, the group says, have grown perilous due to extreme heat—both in the area in general and within the museums themselves—and strike action being taken is now a possibility.
Perceived temperatures, the USB said, have climbed as high as 40C (104 degrees Fahrenheit), leaving workers vulnerable to exhaustion and heatstroke; the claims also state that temperatures inside certain Venice museums have been as high as 30C (86°F) for weeks. The employees that are being affected, the USB told the Art Newspaper, include workers for museums within two clusters: the National Archaeological Museums of Venice and the Lagoon and the Veneto Regional Directorate of National Museums.
The present state of working conditions in certain Venice museums, the USB said, represent “an intolerable situation that not only jeopardises the health and safety of workers, but also seriously undermines the dignity of the visitor experience and the very protection of the artistic heritage on display.”
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