So, let me get this straight… Unions in the UK are urging the Labour Government to introduce a law preventing “strenuous work” from being carried out in temperatures above 25°C?
In 2024, the UK experienced above-average temperatures on 220 days. But let’s limit this to summer, shall we? Oh wait, average summer temperatures were actually lower than in previous years. Then again, 2025 turned out to be the hottest summer on record, so perhaps the idea deserves at least some consideration.
I’m no climate change denier, but how exactly do these unions think people in France, Spain, Italy, and virtually every country south of the UK manage to get anything done? The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) already advise regular water breaks in the shade, drinking more to stay hydrated, and using fans or air conditioning (although air-con itself adds to climate change, doesn’t it?). Anyway…
France is a large country, and while the north has a temperate climate much like ours, the south is a very different story, yet still, no upper work temperature limit exists. In Spain, the limit for physical work is set at 25°C. In Italy, there is no official upper threshold, and temperatures often exceed 35°C in regions such as Puglia and Tuscany.
So, are the unions just tugging at the strings of a soft-touch central government? Would this be considered a “win” against megalomaniac billionaire company owners and Bond villain bosses? (Picture it: “Can’t work in that volcano boss, too hot ‘in’it’, unions said so”) Who knows? but press on for ‘rights’ they must.
I’m not against Unions and this is more than likely a soft news story to maintain vision in the public eye, but the optics of it are jarring to say the least. “Common sense must prevail!” I hear the sensible cry. And yet, as my dad always said: “The only problem with common sense is that it isn’t very common.”
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Reference - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-62197921