![An ice sculpture of a bicycle delivery rider melts in the sun as a heat wave strikes Italy on Wednesday (local time). [Reuters]](https://wimg.heraldcorp.com/news/cms/2026/07/15/rcv.YNA.20260715.PRU20260715269001009_P1.jpg)
Italian delivery workers have declared a strike, demanding guarantees for both their health and income during the ongoing heat wave.
Rider unions affiliated with food delivery companies Glovo and Deliveroo staged strikes across Italy on Wednesday (local time), including in Milan and Florence, according to the Italian news agency ANSA and Yonhap.
The action follows a series of heat wave alerts issued across Italy in recent days, prompting local authorities in Milan and other cities to order a halt to food deliveries during the hottest hours of the day.
The unions argued that while the outdoor work restrictions are intended to protect workers' health, they threaten the livelihoods of riders who already earn low wages.
The unions are calling for a social safety net and measures that would allow riders to work safely during heat waves without losing pay.
"Delivery workers cannot be made to bear the cost of climate change," the unions said. "Delivery stoppages must not translate into economic losses for workers."
Italy has been gripped by intense heat this week. Red heat alerts issued for seven cities on Wednesday are expected to expand to 15 cities on Thursday.
The heat wave battering Europe was triggered by hot air flowing in from North Africa and stalling over the continent. The configuration — a high-pressure system flanked on both sides by low-pressure systems — resembles the Greek letter omega, giving rise to the name "omega heat dome."
eyre@heraldcorp.com
