German unions want 'siesta' break during heat waves
July 6, 2019
The trade union umbrella organization DGB has called for a longer break than the typical 30 minutes for lunch, as is common in Mediterranean countries. Last month, Germany recorded its highest-ever June temperatures.
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In light of the recent record-breaking heat wave in Europe, the German Trade Union Confederation (DGB) has said it will press for workplaces in Germany to offer employees a "siesta"-style midday break, as is common in Mediterranean countries.
"Southern countries already do it — during heat waves, we also need a siesta in Germany," said DGB spokeswoman Annelie Buntenbach on Saturday.
Buntenbach said it was the employers' responsibility to make sure workers had a place to recuperate during the hottest parts of the day.
Europe melts under heat wave
France topped its all-time heat record, a wildfire is burning up forests in northeastern Spain, and multiple countries have issued health alerts. How is Europe dealing with this blast of hot weather?
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/H.-C. Dittrich
New record in France
A pharmacy sign in Carpentras, a village in southeastern France, which shortly held the country's all-time heat record of 44.3 degrees on Friday. The record was topped again later in the afternoon in the southern village of Villevieille, 100 kilometers (60 miles) to the east, which measured a thermometer-busting 45.1 degrees Celsius (113 Fahrenheit).
Image: Getty Images/AFP/P. Valasseris
Scorched forests in Catalonia, Spain
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Image: Getty Images/AFP/P. Barrena
Hot in the city of love
Denizens of Paris cool down in the Trocadero esplanade. Pavement absorbs heat and takes longer to cool off, which makes cities feel even hotter during a heat wave. Air conditioning is also uncommon in many cities in northern Europe, which can make being indoors unbearable, as buildings trap the heat. A 2003 heatwave in France killed 15,000 people.
Image: picture-alliance/abaca/B. Samuel
Homeless at risk in Italy
A volunteer hands water to a homeless man in Milan, Italy, where the mercury has topped 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) in recent days. A heat wave alert was issued Friday in Milan, and an elderly homeless man reportedly died from heatstroke in a park near city's main train station. The extreme temperatures in Italy are expected to ease over the weekend.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/AP/L. Bruno
River bathing in Munich
Bathers lounge on the rocky banks of the Isar river in Munich on Thursday. Last weekend, dozens of women who were bathing topless on the Isar were ordered by police to cover up, sparking a debate on public nudity. Nude beaches are common throughout Germany. The banks of the Isar should be full this weekend, with temperatures in Munich expected to reach 35 degrees Celsius (95 Fahrenheit).
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/P. Kneffel
Sorbet for polar bears
A polar bear cools off at the Hanover Zoo in Germany with a frozen sorbet. Zookeepers across Europe have been helping animals beat the heat with mixtures of fruit frozen in ice. Polar bears are also given frozen fish. On Thursday, France banned the transportation of live animals due to the extreme temperatures.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/H.-C. Dittrich
Sahara heat in Europe
A weather pattern that has stuck over Europe for almost a week is channeling extremely hot air from the Sahara desert northward. The World Meteorological Association said 2019 is on track to be one of the hottest years on record, and that heatwaves like the one currently scorching Europe are projected to happen more frequently.
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"It helps, for example, to have rest areas, where one can shut one's eyes for an hour or so," she said, adding that a proper siesta meant more than just the usual half an hour lunch break.
"Indeed, people need to turn off for a longer period of time," in periods of intense heat.
Last month, Germany saw the highest temperatures ever recorded in the month of June, with the mercury reaching 38.9 degrees Celsius (102 degrees Fahrenheit) in some areas. Several heat-related deaths were reported in Germany, France, Italy, and Spain.
