Trade unions are calling for the introduction of binding heat stress limits in workplaces based on the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) index, which measures the human body’s ability to dissipate heat. They are also demanding that heat risk assessments become mandatory in every workplace.
They are further calling for the new European framework on quality jobs to include essential protective measures, such as mandatory breaks when temperatures rise, shaded areas for outdoor workers, access to drinking water, cooling equipment, and more flexible working hours, according to a draft proposal seen by The Guardian.
The General Secretary of the European Federation of Food, Agriculture and Tourism Trade Unions (EFFAT), Enrico Somaglia, stated: «Climate change is no longer a distant environmental challenge. It is a daily threat to occupational health and safety, as well as to employment stability. The current European legal framework is clearly inadequate to protect workers."
Although the draft proposal is not yet an official legislative text, it has already gained support among Members of the European Parliament and European officials, as the exceptionally hot summer of 2026 has pushed the issue to the top of the political agenda.
When Work Should Be Suspended
The proposal sets maximum WBGT limits in workplaces, ranging from 30°C to 32.5°C, depending on the intensity of the work—from very heavy to low-intensity tasks. Once these limits are exceeded, work should be suspended. Employers who fail to comply would face «effective, proportionate, and dissuasive" penalties.
EFFAT is one of three European trade union organizations, collectively representing approximately 15 million workers, that support the legislative initiative. It is joined by the European Federation of Public Service Unions and the European Federation of Building and Woodworkers, as support among trade unions continues to grow.
In the United Kingdom, where an amber heatwave warning was issued on Wednesday for southwest England, with temperatures expected to soar, the Trades Union Congress (TUC) is urging the government to introduce a maximum allowable workplace temperature. This demand has recently also been supported by the government’s advisers on the Climate Change Committee.
The TUC proposes that employers be legally required to take action when workplace temperatures exceed 24°C, while workers should have the right to stop working when temperatures reach 30°C, or 27°C for those performing particularly physically demanding jobs.
Dangerous Working Conditions
The General Secretary of the TUC, Paul Nowak, stated that the rapid escalation of the climate crisis is creating serious occupational risks that must be addressed.
«Indoor workplaces should be kept at comfortable temperatures, with more flexible dress codes and working hours so that work can be carried out during the coolest parts of the day. Employers must also protect outdoor workers by providing regular breaks, plenty of drinking water, sunscreen, and appropriate protective equipment," he said.
The Heat Strike movement, established after the hottest day ever recorded in the United Kingdom in 2022, has intensified its activities by organizing a nationwide mobilization involving approximately 1,500 participants during the heatwave at the end of June.
The Climate Crisis
Global warming is accelerating, while Europe is warming at twice the global average rate. According to research by the European Trade Union Institute, as many as 130 million workers are now exposed to heat stress at work, while approximately 277,000 suffer work-related injuries each year as a result.
Finnish Green Member of the European Parliament Maria Ohisalo, rapporteur for the European Parliament’s report on extreme temperatures in the workplace, supports the trade unions’ initiative.
As she stated: «At present, there is no EU-wide legislation protecting workers from exposure to high (or low) temperatures. There is only a fragmented set of non-binding recommendations. Workers across Europe need the protection that only legally binding and harmonized rules can provide."
Although the new rules on protection against heat stress could be incorporated into the Quality Jobs Act, which the European Commission has pledged to present later this year, the proposal is expected to face opposition from several labour ministers in centre-right European governments, who prefer that the European Union limit itself to softer, non-binding recommendations.
