Europe’s Largest Unions Demand Right to Cancel Work on Days Above 30C

Unions across Europe are calling on governments to introduce legislation to safeguard workers from rising temperatures, after western Europe recorded its hottest June on record.

Three of Europe’s largest trade unions, representing 12.6m people in 40 countries, have urged the European Commission to include heat-protection measures for workers in a new law. 

The unions want to see maximum working temperatures based on recognised scientific metrics.

Under the proposals, employers within the European Union would be legally required to suspend work if temperatures exceeded 30C for more demanding jobs in sectors like agriculture and construction, and 32.5C for low-intensity jobs, or face sanctions.

Across the continent, as many as 130 million workers are exposed to workplace heat stress annually, resulting in an estimated 277,000 injuries and 230 deaths, according to research by the European Trade Union Institute.

Currently, rules vary within Europe, with some countries leaving it down to employers to relax worker requirements during periods of increased heat.

“Extreme weather is now a workplace reality across Europe… Climate change is one of the defining challenges of our time, but workers are still being sent into increasingly extreme weather conditions without clear and enforceable protections,” said European Federation of Building and Woodworkers secretary general Tom Deleu.

In May, coinciding with Britain’s first heatwave, the Trades Union Congress (TUC) reiterated its calls to introduce maximum working temperatures in the UK, too. While there is a minimum legal temperature of 16C, there is no maximum temperature equivalent. The union said employers should take steps to cool down workplaces once temperatures exceed 24C, with workers able to stop working if temperatures reach 30C, or 27C for those doing manual labour or working outdoors. A TUC-led petition for maximum workplace temperatures has passed 64,000 signatures. 

TUC General Secretary Paul Nowak said:   “With heatwaves becoming more common, we need to adapt. We need new laws on maximum working temperatures, improvements to workplaces to keep them cool, and climate action to reduce global heating.”