Extreme summer temperatures are creating increasingly difficult working conditions for employees across the UK, from construction workers and chefs to paramedics and other frontline employees. Trade unions are calling for stronger workplace protections, including better access to water, additional breaks, changes to working hours, and clearer legal requirements for employers. Workers have reported struggling to perform physically demanding jobs safely as temperatures rise, while many workplaces lack adequate cooling systems. The issue highlights how climate change is becoming an increasingly important health, safety, and collective bargaining issue for labor organizations.
See "Builders, bakers and cheeseburger-makers: the UK workers struggling in extreme heat", Helena Horton and Deborah Solomon, The Guardian, August 14, 2026