The head of Germany's main trade union federation has called for a new heat-related absence allowance to compensate workers forced off the job by extreme weather, arguing that hot days cost the economy 431 million euros each.
German Trade Union Confederation (DGB) chair Yasmin Fahimi demanded the compensation scheme alongside a broader workplace adaptation strategy including shading structures and the provision of drinks. A DGB survey of 4,000 employees found that more than one in three feel significantly burdened by high temperatures on the job, rising to nearly half among those working under time pressure compared with 23 percent of those without. Indoor workers lacking sun protection or air conditioning reported being notably impaired by heat at even higher rates.
The push comes as summer temperatures increasingly disrupt productivity across Europe's largest economy.