Trades unions across Europe are intensifying their campaign for new legislation to protect workers from the escalating dangers of heat stress. Amidst Europe's current sweltering summer, which has seen an estimated 1,300 excess deaths linked to the June heatwave alone, unions are calling for comprehensive measures to mitigate workplace risks posed by rising temperatures. Current estimates link heat stress to approximately 230 workplace fatalities annually across the continent, a figure that may be surpassed this year.
Key demands from unions include the implementation of enforceable workplace thermal limits, which would be based on the wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT) – a metric designed to assess the human body's capacity for self-cooling. They also advocate for mandatory heat risk assessments at all job sites. Furthermore, unions are pushing for the inclusion of specific rights within a forthcoming quality jobs law, such as guaranteed heat breaks, access to outdoor shade, sufficient water and cooling facilities, and the option for adjusted working hours to avoid the hottest parts of the day.
Enrico Somaglia, General Secretary of the European Federation of Food, Agriculture and Tourism Trade Unions (Effat), highlighted the urgency of the situation, stating that climate change now represents a daily occupational health and safety risk. Effat is one of three major union groups, collectively representing 15 million workers, backing these proposed heat safety laws. The European Federation of Public Service Unions and the European Federation of Building and Woodworkers are also key proponents of the initiative, which is gaining traction among sympathetic MEPs and officials as extreme weather events continue to underscore the issue's importance.
In the UK, where an amber heat alert was issued for the south-west of England this week, the Trades Union Congress (TUC) is pressing ministers to introduce a maximum working temperature. This call has recently received support from the government's own advisers on the Climate Change Committee. The TUC proposes that employers should be required to implement measures to reduce workplace temperatures if they exceed 24C, and that workers should have the right to cease work if temperatures reach 30C, or 27C for those engaged in strenuous activities.
The 'Heat Strike' movement, established after the UK's hottest day in 2022, has also stepped up its activism. The group organised a national action during the late June heatwave, with 1,500 participants. Supported by various organisations including the Bakers, Food and Allied Workers Union, the Fire Brigades Union, Greenpeace, War on Want, and Extinction Rebellion, activists set up 'cool stations' in town centres from Exeter to York, distributing water and health advice. Some supporters also conducted symbolic lunchtime walkouts to demonstrate solidarity with those working in extreme heat conditions.