European unions demand new worker heat protections after deadly heatwave

European trade unions are pressing for new workplace heat protections after another stretch of extreme summer temperatures and deaths linked to working in high heat. The campaign spans demands for binding maximum working temperatures, paid cooling breaks, water and shade, and changes to hours for outdoor and physically demanding jobs. The push is coming from both national unions and the European Trade Union Confederation, which has been urging Brussels to replace guidance with binding law. EU workplace safety officials have also warned that heat exposure is now a widespread occupational risk across the bloc. ### What are unions asking employers and governments to change? The European Trade Union Confederation has called for a directive on occupational heat risks that would set binding maximum working temperatures and require sector-specific protections. In a resolution adopted in March 2025, the group said employers should have to assess heat risks and put in place preventive measures, with rules tailored to indoor and outdoor work and the intensity of the job. (etuc.org) ETUC and affiliated unions have also argued for practical measures that can be applied immediately at company or sector level. Those include paid breaks, access to drinking water, shade and toilets, schedule changes during the hottest hours, and stopping work when conditions become dangerous, according to ETUC material and the Guardian’s July 8 report. ### Why has the pressure intensified now? The July 8 Guardian report tied the latest union push to a deadly heatwave across parts of Europe. (etuc.org) The article said unions in several EU member states were using collective bargaining and public pressure to seek stronger protections against heat stress for workers exposed outdoors or in hot indoor settings. (etuc.org) ETUC has been building that case with mortality data and repeated appeals to the European Commission. In its heat-risk resolution, the confederation said heat-related workplace deaths in the European Union have risen 42% since 2000 and argued that recurring summer deaths show recommendations to employers are not enough. (theguardian.com) ### How widespread is heat exposure at work in Europe? EU-OSHA, the bloc’s workplace safety agency, said in material published in 2025 and highlighted again in 2026 that heat has become a serious occupational safety issue during record high temperatures. The agency said around one in five workers across the EU reported facing extreme heat on the job, indoors or outdoors, in the previous 12 months, based on its OSH Pulse 2025 survey. (etuc.org) EU-OSHA guidance for workplaces lists measures such as adjusting work schedules, using acclimatization programs, training workers to recognize heat illness, and taking account of vulnerable workers. That guidance exists, but ETUC says voluntary or advisory measures should now be replaced or reinforced by binding obligations. ### Why are unions focused on a Brussels directive instead of guidance alone? (osha.europa.eu) The European Commission has already published workplace heat guidance, a step ETUC says came after earlier union pressure. But the confederation argues that guidance leaves too much discretion to employers and too little consistency across member states, especially for workers in agriculture, construction, cleaning, logistics and other exposed sectors. (oira.osha.europa.eu) The ETUC health and safety page shows the group has kept heat legislation on its 2026 agenda, including an April 27 press release calling for an EU heat law on workers’ memorial day and a June 25 item arguing cooling breaks used in elite sport should be extended to workers. ### What happens next? The next formal step unions are seeking is a European Commission proposal for a directive on the prevention of occupational heat risks. (etuc.org) At the same time, national unions are expected to keep pressing employers through summer bargaining rounds for concrete measures such as heat breaks, altered shifts and work stoppages during dangerous temperatures, as described in the Guardian’s July 8 report and ETUC’s 2026 campaign material. (theguardian.com) (etuc.org)