German Unions Warn Against Office Fans as Heat Wave Sparks Legal Duties for Employers
20.06.2026 - 09:34:46 | boerse-global.de
Germany’s metalworkers’ union, IG Metall, issued a caution on June 19 against using ventilators in open-plan workplaces as temperatures soared past 37 degrees Celsius. The union warned that fans create drafts, stir up dust and pollen that can strain allergy sufferers, and may even disperse aerosols through the room. Their recommendation: restrict fans to single-occupancy offices. Mobile air-conditioning units were also rejected due to noise and the risk of colds.
The warning came as North Rhine-Westphalia’s state ministries confirmed there will be no general heat-free day for public-sector employees, despite readings above 37°C. Instead, individual departments are rolling out tailored flexibility. The state chancellery eased its usual two-day-per-week office presence requirement. The economics ministry spread mandatory office days across four weeks. The construction ministry allowed workers to move to cooler rooms or work from home. Other agencies turned to technology and scheduling: the science ministry pointed to air-conditioned rooms and flexible starting times from 6:30 a.m., while the environment ministry issued a decree permitting earlier starts through the end of August. The finance ministry is providing bottled mineral water, and the education ministry uses automated ventilation systems in schools.
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One state over, Hesse’s labor minister, Heike Hofmann (SPD), had already appealed to employers on June 18. Citing the 37.3°C recorded at Offenbach’s weather park the following day, Hofmann stressed that once indoor temperatures exceed 26°C, measures are due; at 30°C, employers are legally obligated to act. She flagged serious health consequences: UV-related skin cancer for outdoor workers, increased cardiovascular strain, and a higher accident risk from reduced concentration. Her proposals included relaxing dress codes, removing heat-emitting devices such as printers, and offering early shifts to take advantage of cooler mornings.
The economic toll is steep. Environmental medicine specialist Claudia Traidl-Hoffmann pegged productivity losses on extreme heat days at roughly €400 million. A study by the Prognos institute puts the figure at €431 million per hot day, partly driven by 76,500 extra sick days. Traidl-Hoffmann advocates structural adjustments: redesigned shift patterns and expanded break rules. The federal labor ministry, however, sees no need for new regulation. A few municipalities are already acting independently. Jena and Altenburg, for instance, have set up cool rooms and free drinking water stations.
The Education and Science Union (GEW) in North Rhine-Westphalia is demanding binding heat-protection rules for schools. State chair Ayla Celik criticized the current decree for excluding teachers and senior students from any heat leave arrangements. “Protection must not depend on the financial situation of individual municipalities,” she said.
