Heatwave prompts Italy's delivery riders to strike for extra rights

A significant story is unfolding on the international scene. Heatwave prompts Italy's delivery riders to strike for extra rightsImage source, via Getty ImagesByPaul KirbyEurope digital editorPublished37 minutes agoDelivery riders are to strike in several Italian cities on Wednesday, calling for better working conditions in the intense summer heat. In Milan, city authorities have limited deliveries during the hottest hours of the day until September, and riders working for Glovo and Deliveroo are to halt work in the evening to call for measures to protect their wages as well as their health. In Bologna, riders will switch off their apps and demonstrate in the centre of the city, and there will be a similar stoppage for several hours in Florence, where temperatures are set to hit 40C this week.

Italy is not the only European country where workers have called for better conditions during the heatwaves. Research by the European Trade Union Institute suggests 130 million European workers are exposed to heat stress in the workplace each year. A union in the southern Spanish region of Andalusia complained this week that protections for Glovo delivery riders under the company's summer protocol were insufficient when temperatures were approaching 45C.

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In France, teachers' unions last month urged their members to exercise their right to strike where necessary, because of a series of complaints surrounding working conditions in classrooms and during school examinations. Thousands of schools closed or changed their timetables in response to the high temperatures. 'Hotter and hotter and hotter' - Europe's new climate in seven charts Published4 JulyEurope's heatwave linked to 1,300 deaths, WHO says, as Germany hits record 41.

7C Published28 JuneMilan authorities announced last month that companies using bicycle-based delivery services via digital platforms should reduce or suspend deliveries between 12:30 and 16:00 until 23 September, and should prioritise work when temperatures are cooler. Water supplies, breaks and refreshment areas are also required on days deemed as critical. However, the Nildil Cgil trade union believes companies need to allocate resources to ensure their workers are not out of pocket.

Spokesman Andrea Bacchin says delivery riders need solutions from both the companies and the prefect in Milan that will "protect their health without forcing them to lose wages". In Florence and the rest of Tuscany work is barred on outdoor building sites and in agriculture from 12:30 to 16:00 if the risk of heat stress poses significant risks to workers' health. Union officials complain few workers can afford to stop working during the hottest hours.

The unions are due to discuss the issue of social safety nets with labour ministry officials in Rome on Thursday. The has approached Glovo for comment about the issues affecting its riders in Spain and Italy.

The development has drawn wide international attention, with diplomatic circles watching closely.