Overview
- A CGT survey launched on July 4 found nearly 24% of 4,000 respondents received no heat protection at work, and unions say three early-season heatwaves have intensified calls for urgent legal change.
- The government cites a June 2025 decree that requires water, adapted schedules and equipment and has proposed a paritary working group this autumn, but unions argue the decree is poorly enforced and want immediate law changes.
- Enforcement gaps are central to the dispute because labour inspectors can issue formal notices but generally cannot halt activity, and few prefects have used arrêtés to stop afternoon construction work.
- Policy makers point to concrete models abroad: Spain uses alert-triggered protocols, Italy uses a WBGT-based digital tool called Worklimate to impose regional bans, and South Korea mandates cooling breaks at a 33 °C felt temperature; an ILO report notes Qatar’s WBGT rule excludes some oil and gas projects.
- The stakes are large because the ILO estimates about 2.4 billion workers face excessive heat each year and heat causes thousands of deaths, with outdoor, temporary and low-union sectors most at risk and likely to be first affected by any new national rules.