The planet is clearly reaching desperate tipping points. Human-induced climate change is shifting baseline temperature, making heatwaves, one of the very pronounced impacts, hotter, longer, and more frequent. As greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise, climate breakdown will worsen. Europe is gripped by another record-breaking heatwave, with temperatures reaching above 40°C in several countries in early summer. The hottest month in the year, July, is expected to be hotter and likely to bring more heatwaves. This extreme heat is straining health systems and infrastructure, and claiming many lives in France and elsewhere. At the same time, record temperatures have also been recorded across Germany, Poland, Czechia, and other parts of Europe. 

As such, the Building and Wood Workers' International (BWI) today launched its latest global report titled “Adapting to the Heat: Existing Global Responses for Workers' Protection in Construction, Building Materials, Wood and Forestry Industries.” The report comes at a time when the climate crisis is no longer a distant threat but a daily workplace reality for millions of workers. It documents successful initiatives from every region, sourced from hundreds of examples of collective bargaining agreements, legislative reforms, workplace protocols, compensation schemes, and practical initiatives from around the world. It demonstrates that effective heat protection can be secured through social dialogue, collective bargaining, and strong public regulation.  

The report asserts that climate adaptation must become a workplace priority, particularly for workers in construction, forestry, building materials, and related sectors who spend long hours outdoors under extreme conditions. It highlights that at least 2.41 billion workers worldwide are exposed annually to excessive heat, leading to an estimated 22.85 million occupational injuries and nearly 19,000 deaths every year. The report also points to the landmark conclusions adopted by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in 2026, which call for stronger occupational safety and health protections, climate-responsive workplace adaptation, collective bargaining, effective labour inspection, and income protection for workers affected by extreme weather.

In the foreword, BWI General Secretary Ambet Yuson says the labour movement has already moved "from awareness to agreements," with unions winning practical protections including access to water, shade, and rest, adjusted working hours, the right to stop unsafe work, income protection during heat-related work stoppages, and recognition of heat-related illnesses.

The report, which serves as a practical global resource for affiliates and policymakers, concludes with strategic recommendations urging governments, employers, and trade unions to strengthen occupational safety and health systems to meet the realities of a warming planet. These include introducing heat-specific workplace regulations, expanding collective bargaining coverage, improving compensation schemes, recognising heat-related illnesses as occupational diseases, and integrating climate adaptation into labour policy. This crystallises how workers and trade unions use their collective power and become a key solution to the global climate breakdown and a contributor to the attainment of climate justice. There will be no climate justice without worker justice!

Download the report.