Climate Change and Working Time: A Complex Challenge

Abstract

Working time has been traditionally focused on adapting working hours in order to allow a reconciliation of work and family life whilst assuring the workers’ health and safety. Recently, a new factor impacts in the organisation of the working time. It is climate change which also has an important effect on the working conditions. This issue will certainly be a decisive factor to be taken into account in the designing and monitoring working time in the near future. The climate emergency demands for an innovative regulation from the International Institutions and introduce a new challenge for the domestic labour and social security law. Thus, in Europe, both the European Union and the Member States have a significant role in enacting innovative regulations and, additionally, in the promotion and encouragement to the social agents to negotiate “climatic oriented” working conditions.