As Europe's summer heat intensifies, unions are rallying for stricter worker protections against heat stress, a growing concern linked to numerous workplace fatalities. The issue has been thrust into the spotlight by a scorching June heatwave, with estimates of excess deaths ranging from 1,300 to 20,000 across Europe, according to various sources.
Unions are advocating for enforceable workplace thermal limits, based on the wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT), which measures the body's cooling capacity. They also demand mandatory heat risk assessments and specific protections, such as heat breaks, outdoor shade, water, cooling, and adjusted working hours, to be included in a quality jobs law.
Enrico Somaglia, general secretary of the European Federation of Food, Agriculture, and Tourism Trade Unions (Effat), emphasizes the urgency of the situation. He states, "Climate change is no longer a distant environmental challenge but a daily occupational health and safety risk, threatening job stability. The current European legal framework is insufficient to combat this."
The proposed heat safety law, supported by three major union groups representing 15 million workers, suggests maximum WBGTs of 30°C to 32.5°C for various work intensities, with work suspension beyond these temperatures. Employers violating these rules would face severe sanctions.
In the UK, the Trades Union Congress (TUC) is pushing for a maximum working temperature, aligning with the Climate Change Committee's advice. The TUC seeks rules to reduce temperatures above 24°C and the right to stop work at 30°C or 27°C for strenuous jobs. Paul Nowak, TUC general secretary, highlights the need for mitigation strategies, including comfortable indoor temperatures, relaxed dress codes, and flexible working hours for outdoor workers.
The Heat Strike movement, formed after the UK's hottest day in 2022, has gained momentum, with 1,500 participants in a national action during the June heatwave. Activists set up cool stations, providing water and health advice, and some held symbolic lunchtime walkouts in solidarity with those in extreme heat.
Global heating is accelerating, with Europe warming twice as fast as the global average. Up to 130 million workers are exposed to heat stress, resulting in 277,000 injuries annually, according to European Trade Union Institute research.
Maria Ohisalo, a Finnish Green MEP, supports the union push for legally binding and harmonized rules, stating, "Currently, there's no European-wide regulation on workplace heat or cold exposure, only recommendations. Workers need the protection that only legally binding rules can provide."
However, the European Commission faces opposition from right-wing EU labor ministers who favor weaker recommendations. The Quality Jobs Act, which could include new heat stress rules, must overcome this resistance to be implemented.
As Europe grapples with the escalating heat crisis, unions are pushing for immediate action, emphasizing the need for enforceable regulations to safeguard workers' health and safety in the face of a rapidly changing climate.
