Recent articles in the Star highlighted the problems of working in buildings that are too hot. Some school students have spoken up to demand a change to their dress code, to allow boys to wear shorts in hot weather. Why do some schools still insist on long trousers all year round? Surely, students will be better able to concentrate on their lessons if they are comfortable. As climate change heats up, dress codes in schools and workplaces are probably the easiest thing to change.
A coalition of Unions and environmental groups is calling for a Heat Strike when the weather becomes unbearably hot. Their message was highlighted recently by Sheffield Extinction Rebellion, who organised a banner drop from Park Square roundabout.
Spokesperson Jenny Crisp explained, “We are concerned about the conditions people face when they have to work in extremely hot temperatures. There are minimum temperatures for the workplace, but not maximum. In 2022, the UK passed 40°C for the first time in recorded history. Unbearable heat waves will keep getting worse. But the government doesn’t have a plan to protect lives.”
The Heat Strike will put pressure on politicians and workplaces to protect workers and vulnerable people in the face of extreme heat. Heatstrike is demanding national maximum working temperatures, a furlough scheme in heatwaves and emergency action to tackle climate change.
Since 2008, unions have been calling for a maximum working temperature. Heatstrike demands that the government set a national maximum indoor working temperature of 30°C (27°C for those doing strenuous work).
Heatwaves in the UK are set to get hotter and more frequent. Working people can’t afford to bear the cost of climate breakdown, and they shouldn’t have to. Heatstrike demands that the government works with employers and Trade Unions to set up a heat wave furlough scheme for when they can’t keep workplace temperatures below 30°C.
In 2022, the High Court ruled that the UK government’s climate action plan is so inadequate that it is illegal. In the face of ever more frequent and deadly extreme weather, Heatstrike demands that our Government make a plan that responds to the climate crisis by tackling its causes and averting the worst of its impacts in years to come.
Some XR Sheffied members then continued to Wigan, where they held an outreach sessions on the threat to health of extreme heat outside the Royal Albert Edward Hospital. There was a similar event outside St Thomas’ hospital in London. The Northern General Hospital in Sheffield is similarly vulnerable to heat stresses, as most windows can only be cracked open and air conditioning is lacking.
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A hospital doctor who wishes to remain anonymous, said
“Heat does prove very challenging to patients who are already very sick. It’s difficult to bring fevers down when the ambient temperature is high, particularly as electric fans are now prohibited on infection control grounds. I’ve seen many a patient quite distressed by the heat, and often there is little we can do for them beyond providing wet paper towels to apply to the skin. Not ideal.”
Which workplaces in Sheffield are worst for over-heating?
Can you get your Union involved in Heatstrike? Please share this article with any friends active in Trade Unions.
To get involved, visit heatstrike.uk
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