"In this heatwave, the temperatures are reaching close to [122 degrees] behind our windscreens. And given we have no air conditioning on our buses, it's unbearable," union representative Gabriel Magner said.
The company previously maintained that shorts are not an appropriate form of dress for its drivers and attempted to accommodate for heat by offering a new line of lighter "summer trousers" as of last year.
As temperatures reached record highs this year, Semitan's drivers decided they'd had enough of the long pants and decided to protest by exploiting a loophole in the dress code.
"Our managers say shorts are not suitable for our profession. We've opted for provocation by coming in skirts, which are allowed for female drivers," driver Didier Sauvetre said.
Semitan will allow drivers to wear shorts that correspond to the uniform's color scheme of black and beige as they work to devise a new dress code.
