Overview

• Jan van Aken released a policy paper on June 9 calling for legal safeguards against workplace heat stress under the title “Hitzeschutz ist Arbeitsschutz – jetzt handeln.”
• The proposal mandates a 25% reduction in working hours and an extra 10-minute break per hour when temperatures exceed 26 °C, rising to a 50% cut and half-hourly breaks above 30 °C.
• It also guarantees access to drinking water, sunscreen and ventilators, grants the right to work from home during extreme heat, and calls for free sunscreen dispensers on beaches and more water dispensers in cities.
• Van Aken argues the climate crisis has become a social crisis that undermines health and productivity for those laboring in overheated offices and outdoor jobs.
• The Left Party is pressing for legislation by July 2025 but the federal government has not yet issued an official response to the demands.