Hungarian Trade Union Confederation Demands Legal Workplace Heat Limit

The Magyar Szakszervezeti Szövetség (MASZSZ) has launched a Facebook signature campaign urging the Hungarian government to establish a legally binding temperature threshold for workplaces amid a severe heatwave.

MASZSZ says the current rule – a 5‑10 minute break per hour when extreme heat is recorded – is outdated. The union calls for a heat‑temperature protocol that obliges employers to halt or reduce work when the limit is reached, provides continuous temperature monitoring that workers can access, and requires that break time cannot be deducted from wages.

President Zlati Róbert stressed that workplace heat is now a persistent occupational hazard that endangers health and lives, and that broader reforms of occupational‑safety legislation are needed.