Heatwave Forces Italian Delivery Riders to Strike Over Intense Heat Conditions

Mon Sep 14 2026 09:01:10 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

Delivery riders across Italy are walking off the job in a heatwave‑prompted strike demanding safer working conditions and wage protection during scorching summer temperatures.

Italian food‑delivery riders have staged a strike in several cities, halting work and demanding better protections against dangerous heat. Milan, Bologna and Florence see riders refuse to deliver during the hottest hours while unions push for company and government measures to safeguard health without cutting wages. The protest echoes wider European concerns, with Spanish and French workers also calling for stricter heat‑related safeguards. A union representative has urged coordinated action to ensure riders are not left with uncompensated losses during these high‑temperature periods. The strike highlights the growing pressure on gig‑economy companies to meet health‑safety standards amid climate‑driven conditions.

Heatwave forces Italian delivery riders to strike over intense heat conditions

The intense summer heat has pushed food‑delivery riders across Italy to a full‑scale strike in several key cities. Volunteers from Glovo and Deliveroo in Milan are refusing deliveries after 6 p.m., and riders in Bologna have shut down their apps to protest the lack of adequate heat‑protection measures for the labour force. In Florence, workers will stay off the streets for several hours, pausing service as temperatures are forecast to climb to 40 °C.

Milan's city council has already ordered a temporary halt to deliveries during the hottest part of the day between 12:30 p.m. and 4 p.m. through September. This measure, while aimed at protecting workers, has left many riders worried that they will lose income without decisive wage compensation.

Italian union Nildil Cgil, represented by spokesperson Andrea Bacchin, said the city ordinances “should be matched with clear financial safeguards for workers.” Bacchin added that both the companies and municipal authorities must ensure the riders’ health is not compromised “without robbing them of their wages.”

The strike comes in the wake of heightened heat‑wave activity across Europe. A recent joint study by the European Trade Union Institute estimates that around 130 million European workers face heat‑related stress annually. In Andalusia, a southern Spanish region, Glovo riders complained that their summer protocols were unsafe when temperatures approached 45 °C.

In France, teachers’ unions have also called for the right to strike as schools close or adjust timetables for the high temperatures, underscoring the broad concern over occupational health during unprecedented heatscares.

The BBC has reached out to Glovo, seeking comment on the challenges confronting riders in Spain and Italy. Meanwhile, JustEat has responded by stating its riders are not participating in the Milan strike and that it is engaging with local unions to address heat‑safety measures where necessary.