The authorities need to find a better way to enforce the current laws on protecting workers, says an article in Workers' Daily. The following is an excerpt:

In early July, Zhejiang Province issued a file asking employers to raise their special summer subsidies for workers. But as the file was not mandatory, less than 10 percent of private firms in Hangzhou, the provincial capital, increased the subsidy.

Laws and regulations have been introduced in the past that stipulate employers should make proper arrangements for their workers in summer, like installing air conditioners in workplaces, supplying drinks or medicines and offering the special subsidy.

All of the stipulations are aimed at protecting the health of workers in hot weather. Unfortunately, they are seldom observed and most often ignored.

The labor department was reported to have said it had never received any complaints from workers about not getting their summer subsidy, but this is most likely due to them being scared of losing their jobs.

Central government ministries related to labor protection and public health release notices every summer to remind employers to enhance workplace protection. But even these generally fall on deaf ears. It is unrealistic to expect the notices to play a bigger role in protecting workers from the heat than of the law.

For business owners, the less they pay workers the more profits they make. So they avoid the notices and do not get punished for doing so.

Until the laws, notices and files are fully enforced and those who do not abide with them punished, workers can do nothing but rely on the kindness of their bosses when the temperature rises.