Heatwave prompts Italian drivers to strike for more rights

Delivery drivers are set to strike in several Italian cities on Wednesday to demand better working conditions in the sweltering summer heat.

In Milan, city authorities have limited deliveries during the hottest hours of the day until September, and drivers working for Glovo and Deliveroo must stop working at night to take measures to protect their wages and health.

In Bologna riders will turn off the app and perform in the city centre, and there will be a similar standoff for several hours in Florence, where temperatures are set to hit 40C this week.

Italy is not the only country where workers are calling for better conditions during the heatwave.

According to a study by the European Trade Union Institute, 130 million European workers are exposed to heat stress at work each year.

An association in Spain’s southern Andalusia region has complained that the protection provided to Glovo drivers under the company’s summer protocol is insufficient as temperatures approach 45C this week.

French teachers’ unions last month urged their members to use their right to strike when necessary following a series of complaints about working conditions in the classroom and during school exams.

Thousands of schools have closed or changed their schedules in response to the extreme heat.