Unions reveal heatwave misery

Productivity drops as offices heat up

Union leaders have criticised employers who did little or nothing to make working conditions more bearable during the recent heatwave.

The TUC said employees should not have to endure "sweatshop" conditions again.

Unions received calls for help from workers as temperatures hit the mid 30s. One worker in a foreign exchange booth in London had to endure an office temperature of 35C, said one union.

And on 12 August staff at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary staged a walk-out after claiming it was too hot inside for them to work.

The Transport Salaried Staffs Association (TSSA) said it received a number of complaints.

Union members told the TSSA they were spending up to £4 a day on cold drinks to counter the effects of the heat which included sickness, dehydration, fainting and heat rashes.

25C limit recommended

The TUC has called for a maximum working temperature of 30C and argues that if heat cannot be reduced through air conditioning or fans, workers should be offered adequate breaks or job rotation.

Under UK law there is a legal minimum temperature below which no one should have to work - 13C for strenuous work, 16C generally - but there is no equivalent if it gets too hot.

While there is no maximum temperature in legislation the World Health Organisation recommends a maximum of 25C.

Owen Tudor, the TUC's Health and Safety Officer said complaints were on the rise as hot spells become increasingly common.

"If management recognised this was a problem they could do something about it, but time and time again people's productivity declines because of the temperature they're working in and employers assume these are acts of God.

"There was a postal sorting office in Bristol where the canteen's kitchens got really hot.

"What they eventually decided to do was to stop cooking and start serving cold food like salads. Funnily enough usage went up!"

But he added: "The real horror stories occur in non-unionised work places and we don't tend to hear about them."