Angela Rayner previously called for the right for Britons to stop working during heatwaves, it has emerged. During the 2022 heatwave, when temperatures reached 40C in the UK for the first time, the now deputy prime minister urged the previous Conservative government to urgently introduce guidance on safe working temperatures.
Ms Rayner's proposal would force employers to control temperatures at work by providing extra breaks, flexible working hours, or allowing employees to finish their shifts early if temperatures are exceeded. She shared a Guardian article on social media with the headline: “Unions call for maximum UK workplace temperature as heatwave descends,” adding: “We need urgent guidance for safe indoor working temperatures and the government must ensure employers allow staff to work flexibly in this heat. Where is their plan to keep people safe?”
Health secretary Wes Streeting has also previously expressed support for such legislation, signing an early day motion in July 2016 alongside foreign secretary David Lammy, Scotland secretary Ian Murray, and culture secretary Lisa Nandy. Unions GMB and Unite have reportedly begun fresh talks with ministers to introduce a legal limit of 27C for manual jobs.
The Health and Safety Executive is drawing up new guidance expected to tell employers to implement “heat stress assessments,” but it is expected to stop short of setting maximum temperature rules. Meanwhile, London mayor Sir Sadiq Khan is reportedly considering whether flexible working hours should be offered to workers to avoid peak heat hours.
The calls come as temperatures in parts of the UK surpassed 30C this week, during the fourth heatwave of the summer. Greece requires manual workers to take a break between midday and 5pm, while Spain, Italy, and Germany have maximum working temperatures during the summer months.
A government spokesperson said: “The deputy prime minister’s previous call was for guidance on safe indoor working temperatures. A Health and Safety Executive workplace temperature checklist is publicly available to provide such guidance for employers and we welcome their continued work in this area.”
