Ministry of Labour – statement of 24 June 2026
As France is experiencing a spell of extreme heat, the Ministry of Labour has set out employers’obligations and the support schemes available, and has stepped up enforcement.
In guidance updated on 25 June 2026, the Ministry confirmed that businesses whose activity is disrupted by the heat may apply for short-time working (activité partielle) from the local employment authorities (DDETS) on the ground of « any other exceptional circumstance”. This route is open once an orange or red heat alert has been declared by the weather service, provided the business can show a direct link between the drop or suspension of activity and the heat, and that it has first exhausted the alternatives – adjusting hours, remote working, taking leave or recovering lost hours. Construction businesses are directed to use the sector’s bad weather scheme (BTP-Intempéries) first. Applications are assessed case by case, and repeated recourse on this ground year after year may be refused.
