Erwin -
Erwin has lived in Quezon City for over 30 years, employed in multiple jobs due to the volatility of the informal sector. Most recently, he worked in a plastic factory; he lost that job when the factory shut down as a result of the plastic ban in Quezon City. Currently, he looks for odd jobs to support his family.
During Erwin's time at the factory, he experienced intense heat on hot days due to poor ventilation and a lack of ceiling fans. He recalls, “It was extremely hot because it was full of machines.” He mentions that even electric fans were prohibited at the factory, leading to them not having any respite from the heat within the factory building, “Ah, electric fans weren’t allowed. This was because, in production, during cutting, the fan might blow away the cut outs.” At home, he can see the impacts of extreme heat on his children, “ my child gets prickly heat rashes. We bathe them.”
Erwin mentioned there was minimal support to help workers cope with heat in the factory. His employers had installed a water fountain with cold water which helped, but the lack of fans was distressing, as was the prohibition on portable fans. With the loss of Erwin’s job, he faces new livelihood challenges and the possibility of different heat challenges in other occupations.
Gloria -
Gloria, 50 years old, came to Quezon City over 20 years ago for better economic opportunities. She started work as a domestic worker, and eventually found work in a garment factory where she still works, though the quantity of work has reduced over time.
In the past 20 years, she thinks the climate in Quezon City has significantly changed and become extremely unpredictable; “It seems hotter now. I don’t know, it’s just worse than before. As for the rain, you can’t tell when it’s coming. But when it looks like rain, we go, ‘Okay, time to pack things up!”
With the increasing heat in Quezon City, Gloria talks about the unbearable conditions that heat is creating at her workplace. She says, “It affects us. With just a little movement, you’re drenched in sweat. Like me, when I sweat, I get itchy. I can’t even work properly because of the heat.” Even though the factory has fans, they are often switched off by the management during break times leading to reduced rest quality. They receive arbitrary reasons for this action by the management; “They said the fans might overheat. So we just follow”. At home, even though her family is at risk of different heat -related health issues, she claims there isn't much to do to help them or herself.
Gloria and her fellow workers understand the injustice that they face at the factory during extreme heat. She exclaims, “You really can’t take it. When you nap, you’re sweating buckets. Meanwhile, they have air conditioning in the office?” She has often tried to reason with her supervisor saying “Sir, the heat is unbearable. We might get dehydrated.” However, her pleas have so far been unsuccessful.
Workers such as Gloria need to be protected and supported by employers during such times rather than needing to fight for basic necessities.
