FDA supports Heat Strike call

Delegates at last week’s Food, Drink and Agriculture sector NISC in Dorchester supported the call for a “Heat Strike” campaign to protect workers from increasing extreme temperatures.

Unite food worker, Monique Mosley, updated the group on the increasing movement to introduce a maximum working temperature in the UK, something Unite has been calling for some time, and how international organisations representing workers in food and farming have been organising.

Monique had recently attended the TUC webinar “Hot Work, Safe Work: What Union Reps Need to Know” and shared the experience with delegates. 

Monquie said, “The Heat Strike action group is gaining momentum, calling for a statutory maximum working temperature, a heat furlough scheme, and climate justice in workplaces.”

Monique said that the webinar was energising and informative, and highlighted the urgency of addressing climate impacts in the workplace, adding that, “ it gave me practical tools and resources to take forward. I now feel better equipped to engage with members on these issues and push for real protections in increasingly extreme conditions.”

Monique is a Unite delegate from the FDA sector to EFFAT, the European Federation of Food, Agriculture, and Tourism Trade Unions, and reported that,  “EFFAT is pushing for an EU directive to regulate maximum working temperatures, recognizing that exposure to extreme heat can lead to occupational illnesses and injuries.

“This legislation would ideally include provisions for reduced working hours, extended breaks during high temperatures, and the installation of effective ventilation systems for indoor workers. EFFAT also emphasizes the need for compensation for time lost due to extreme weather events, potentially through the welfare system or public funding.”

Following the report there was a lively discussion where members of the FDA NISC shared experiences of how extreme heat, and in some cases cold, was increasingly impacting on the health of workers.

Unite has been actively campaigning for a change in the law around maximum working temperatures and has also been supporting workers on the frontline of the climate breakdown.

The union recently took action to support boiling bus drivers and recently passed a composite motion at Policy Conference aimed at protecting workers during extreme weather events. 

Unite’s “Temperature at Work” Health and Safety guidance for workplace reps is available here.

By Keith Hatch

Photos by Mark Thomas