Will it be necessary to adapt the Labor Code in the light of the high temperatures which are expected to become widespread in France? Invited on BFMTV on Tuesday evening, the Minister for Ecological Transition Christophe Béchu opened the door to better consideration of climatic conditions in professional practice. He mentioned “people who work outside”, the first to be affected by the crushing temperatures recorded in France in recent days. “Sometimes there are certain norms that conflict, you can’t make noise too soon. But if you want to avoid working on schedules, it is in your interest to shift; with the start of construction which can be done much earlier in the morning”, he argued.
As a reminder, the French Labor Code does not have specific provisions in the event of a heat wave. The only obligation for employers is to ventilate the interior premises and authorize employees to exercise a right of withdrawal in the event of serious and imminent danger to their health. Christophe Béchu, however, insisted on the existence of a heat wave management guide published each year by the Ministry of Labour. Available online, the document recommends in particular to “limit physical work by allowing employees to adapt their pace” and to favor teamwork, “so that employees can detect a possible heat stroke in the workplace. ‘one of them”.
For the Minister of Ecological Transition, these precautions are a matter of “logic”. “When we reach certain temperature levels like those we reach, the logic that there is to look at if we are not going to go to reduced days it exists”, he argued at the microphone of BFMTV. The government, which has not yet decided on a real change in the Labor Code, could however be ordered to do so by Parliament: on July 20, several La France Insoumise deputies tabled a bill aimed at “ adapt the Labor Code to the consequences of global warming”. Case to follow.