Working temperatures.

[Leo R.]

I saw on the news today this proposal by British trade union bosses.They are trying to get the government to pass a law that will restrict certain workers to a maximum working temperature of 30c.
Apparently,this will apply to bakery workers,chefs/cooks and foundry workers.I can`t see this being passed,as it will cause chaos.
I wondered what some of you,my fellow chefs,make of this.Leo.

[Britcook]

Oh I don't know though. Our government (of whatever colour) has shown itself easily capable of passing laws which will cause chaos. It's basically the law of unintended consequences - they decide to do something for the best of motives (let's face it very few people would volunteer to work in temperatures in excess of 30 degrees (86 Fahrenheit) given a choice) but fail to think through the consequences. A good example in the early 60s was rent regulation after "Rachmannism", intended to give tenants a fair rent and security of tenancy. What actually happened was that decent private rented accommodation practically disappeared from the market, the many suffered for the few.
So yes they're quite keen to show their humanity and may well pass such legislation regardless of the effect on workers in the food business.