City’s outdoor workers now have more rest stations

OVER 400 more service stations for outdoor workers started operation yesterday, bringing the number of such stations in Shanghai to over 1,000, according to the Shanghai Federation of Trade Unions.

The service stations are located in banks, telecommunications stores, supermarkets, pharmacies, post offices, restaurants and hotels, as well as subdistrict government and district trade union offices.

They are intended to serve street cleaners, package and food delivery workers, truck drivers and traffic police officers, among others.

Required facilities at these stations include air conditioning, a water dispenser, a refrigerator, a microwave oven, charging sockets and chairs.

Together with the first 600 that were unveiled in February, the stations now cover all of Shanghai’s 16 districts.

Opening hours are in accordance with those of businesses in which the stations are located.

The service station at the China Mobile store on downtown Nanjing Road W., which was originally a rest room intended only for store staff, is open from 9am to 9pm. About 20 workers rest there during the day, most of them being street cleaners, delivery workers and traffic assistants, said Zhang Kaiqin, the store manager who is also in charge of the station.

“In summer they usually drop in at noontime to sit down for a rest and drink some water,” she said.

Zhang said her company plans to further equip the room with a coffee machine, an air purifier and some fitness equipment.