As the summer of heat continues, petitions calling for a maximum workplace temperature have exploded. Over 175,000 people have now signed petitions demanding the government takes urgent action to protect workers in the face of more dangerous heatwaves.
The increased attention on the issue of workplace safety comes after over 1,000 people including teachers, bus drivers and bakers took part in the first ever national Heat Strike during the unprecedented deadly heatwave in June.
Now this week, multiple unions are balloting for better working conditions in heat waves. Bus drivers in North London are threatening to strike unless air conditioning is installed in cabs. Some drivers have recorded cab temperatures of 50°C.
Meanwhile museum staff at the V&A in London are also balloting over closing areas that go above safe working temperatures. Both ballots close on Wednesday 29 July.
The campaign is calling for a maximum working temperature. It asks the government to implement a heatwave furlough scheme, and climate action plan.
From Exeter to York, groups have handed out health and safety advice in town. And workers shared photos of thermometers to show how hot their workplaces got.
From unfurling a 23 metre banner on Brighton pier to putting up safety posters in bakeries around Bradford, the Heat Strike campaign has brought together climate activists and union members.
Wide support for Heat Strike
Trade unions including the Bakers, Food and Allied Workers Union; the Fire Brigades Union; the NEU, and Equity have all passed motions to support Heat Strike and its demands.
Unite has said it would provide bus drivers with an official letter that they can show their employer when conditions become too hot in drivers’ cabs. It informs the company that the driver is stopping work for safety reasons.
In alliance with these prominent unions are climate groups including Greenpeace, War on Want, and Extinction Rebellion.
Now petitions shared by the Heat Strike campaign have collectively topped 175,000. One petition on Change.Org has gained around 1,000 signatures a day since it launched during the June heatwave.
Meanwhile the TUC’s petition, which started in 2021, has gained around 20,000 signatures in 2026 alone. Over 3,000 people have signed up to say they will take part in the next Heat Strike.
Climate crisis hitting home
This year has smashed heat records for the UK, with the record for hottest June day obliterated. It is the first year on record to see temperatures of 35°C or above in May, June and July.
People faced tropical nights with no chance of respite as temperatures remained in the 20s overnight for weeks on end.
With studies showing the extreme June heatwave alone may have caused 2,200 heat related deaths across England and Wales alone, we will never know precisely how many avoidable accidents have resulted from this country’s failure to prepare for the impacts of the climate crisis coming home.
That’s 440 deaths a day across England and Wales alone at the June heatwaves’ peak. For comparison, around 4 people die each day as a result of road traffic collisions.
The government’s own advisors are now calling for a maximum working temperature, MPs are putting forward Early Day Motions, and unions are coming together. And the impact of the recent heatwaves on the economy and excess deaths is becoming clear. So everyone’s wondering when the PM will protect workers from the impact of the worst effects of the climate crisis.
Robbie Woodland, president of the Kernow branch of the Bakers, Food and Allied Workers Union, a hygiene operative working in West Cornwall, said:
My union has been calling for a maximum workplace temperature for over a decade as bakeries regularly see extreme temperatures. It’s great to see the issue spreading to hundreds of thousands of people now.
It’s clear to everyone now that heatwaves are becoming more frequent and extreme. That’s why Burnham must set a maximum workplace temperature before we’re all cooked! If they don’t protect workers they will face more Heat Strike actions.
A bus driver from North London, who wished to remain anonymous but is in favour of balloted strike action, said:
Driving a bus in these heatwaves is like driving a mobile greenhouse. Some drivers who are bringing in their own thermometers are reporting in-cab temperatures up to 50°C. Work becomes unbearable.
It’s illegal to transport livestock in temperatures over 30°C, and yet we’re meant to keep driving buses in temperatures way beyond that. They’re asking us to do a job that’s physically impossible.
Liam Geary Baulch, campaigner for a Heat Strike, said:
The petitions show everyone is now feeling the effects of the climate now. People are scared these heatwaves will set off a national health and safety emergency. That’s why they are urging the PM to put the brakes on now, else more lives will be lost.
Until there’s a clear plan to protect everyone from the extreme heat, it’s up to workers to keep our colleagues and community safe by removing ourselves from unsafe workplaces. Join the Heat Strike today – we’re cooler together.
Featured image via Heat Strike / Léo Bodelle
By The Canary
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