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Post-holiday heating warning to firms

Employers were reminded this week to make sure they turn the heating back on before staff returned to work after the Christmas break. Many firms last year only put the heating on in offices, shops and factories just hours before staff reported for duty after the Christmas and New Year holidays.

That left many workplaces freezing cold. Many offices will have been closed for up to 12 days this year as firms started to wind down in the last full week before Christmas.

That means it is likely to be even colder when work begins again, with buildings taking up to a day to heat up. There is also snow and freezing weather conditions predicted for the end of the week.

Brendan Barber, TUC general secretary, said: “This is not the season for Scrooge employers to scrimp on heating bills. “Every year thousands of workers return from the festive break to a bitterly cold workplace, and bosses need to take action. “Ensuring staff return to warm, comfortable workplaces is simple to organise - all employers need to do is to arrange for someone to come in early and turn the heating back on.”

So if your office was decidedly freezing this morning, the bosses were warned…

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .