Builders should get compensation, stop work when temperatures reach 33°C – workers' union
Clean Energy Wire
Construction workers should be able to stop outdoor labour when temperatures surpass 33 degrees, Germany’s Industrial Union of Construction, Agriculture, and Environment (IG BAU) said. “In this heat, sunscreen, water, and breaks are no longer enough,” said IG BAU deputy chairman Carsten Burckhardt. “Then it's time to stop work – full stop.”
The trade union called for a year-round compensation mechanism which would kick in if workers cannot do their jobs due to adverse weather conditions. Currently, Germany has a bad weather allowance during winter months, when particularly the construction industry might be forced to stop work as a result of bad weather. The allowance is intended to partially compensate for these losses.
“What has long been standard practice in frost, snow and black ice must also apply in extreme heat, heavy rain or storms – regardless of the season,” said Burckhardt. He said that as winters get warmer claims for the bad weather allowance have gone down. Meanwhile, weather events that made it impossible to work now happened year-round, he added. “We have to adapt to this.” IG BAU has already negotiated a "loss allowance" for roofers that is paid as wage compensation if roof work cannot be carried out due to heat.
Heat exposure significantly increases in sealed, dense urban areas, data by the German Aerospace Centre (DLR) shows. Researchers at the centre recently calculated the average surface temperatures across 70 cities in Germany for June, July and August between 2013 and 2024. They then identified heat islands, with the aim of providing “a sound, data-based foundation for taking concrete measures against heat in urban areas”.
More workers are being exposed to heat stress across the world due to climate change, with Europe and Central Asia experiencing the largest rise in excessive heat exposure in 20 years, according to a 2024 report from the International Labour Organization (ILO).
In addition to reducing emissions, Germany increasingly has to find ways to adapt to the consequences of climate change. This is necessary to save lives, reduce the ecological and socio-economic impacts of climate change, and minimise future costs.
