Angela Rayner previously called for Britons to have the right to stop working during heatwaves, it has emerged.
During the 2022 heatwave, which saw temperatures of 40C recorded 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.
It 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.
Posting to social media, Ms Rayner minister shared a link to a Guardian article with the headline: “Unions call for maximum UK workplace temperature as heatwave descends.”
She added: “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 in support of a similar move alongside foreign secretary David Lammy, Scotland secretary Ian Murray and culture secretary Lisa Nandy.
It comes as 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, which regulates workplace health, safety and welfare, is drawing up new guidance which is expected to tell employers to implement “heat stress assessments” – but it is expected to stop short of setting maximum temperature rules.
Meanwhile, according to The Telegraph, London mayor Sir Sadiq Khan is weighing up whether flexible working hours should be offered to workers to avoid peak heat hours.
It comes 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.”
