They are in the car at six in the morning and are often not home until eight in the evening: a large proportion of the 800 or so construction workers in the district of erlangen-Hochstadt put up with enormous commuting distances – without being paid for the time they spend driving. The IG bau trade union points this out in a press release.
"Construction workers are among the record commuters in the region. To get to the site, they not only have to travel particularly long distances. The locations are also constantly changing. Family, friends and leisure time suffer", says iris santoro, district president of the trade union in central franconia. For the first time, compensation is now to be paid for so-called "travel time" on the construction site. This is what the union is demanding in the current round of collective bargaining, which begins on 25 June. June will be continued in wiesbaden.
64 kilometers simply on average
According to a recent study by the pestel institute, construction workers in germany travel an average of 64 kilometers one way to work. In a representative survey of 4,800 construction workers, one in four said they spent more than an hour traveling to and from the job site. By way of comparison, only five percent of all employees are affected.
iris santoro, head of the union for construction, speaks of "lost lifetime and calls on construction companies to recognize the dedication of their employees. "Mobile work is naturally part of construction. There is always a different building site. But then construction workers must at least be compensated for the driving – either in money or time credits", according to the trade unionist. The construction industry can thus also make an important contribution to combating the shortage of skilled workers. "Career starters think twice before starting in an industry where they spend more time in the van than at home."