Germany Floats Flexible Hours as Business Push for Longer Workweek Collides with Broad Worker Opposition
Published on 06/22/2026 at 12:14 | Redaktion boerse-global.de
The debate over working time in Germany has become a flashpoint in a far-ranging reform package that also touches pensions, housing allowances, and tax policy. At the centre of the controversy is a draft law from the Federal Ministry of Labour that would permit departures from the long-standing eight-hour day — provided collective bargaining agreements set different rules.
Labour Minister Bärbel Bas submitted a departmental draft in June allowing a weekly maximum to replace the daily limit under certain conditions. Even the statutory rest period of eleven hours could be waived in circumstances specified by a tariff agreement. At the same time, mandatory digital time recording on the same calendar day would become a legal requirement to prevent abuse. The Union opposition has already rejected the plan; the Ministry stresses the legislative process remains ongoing.
The move comes as top industry figures urge a more dramatic shift. Martin Brudermüller, chairman of the supervisory board at Mercedes-Benz, called on Monday for a return to the 40-hour week. “It is reasonable to ask employees to work longer hours again,” he said, arguing that Germany has lost its productivity advantage and that labour costs are now too high on international markets. In the auto industry, the 35-hour week is standard. Brudermüller’s proposal amounts to more work for the same pay.
The sentiment is sharply at odds with public opinion. According to a survey, 72 percent of workers reject longer daily shifts. The German Trade Union Federation (DGB) warns that watering down daily caps opens the door to exploitation. The DGB noted that in 2024, 638 million hours of unpaid overtime were already clocked across the country.
Employers, however, are also pushing back — but from a different angle. Dirk Jandura, president of the Federation of German Wholesale, Foreign Trade and Services (BGA), labelled the draft a “break with the coalition agreement”. He argued that tying flexibility to collective bargaining coverage discriminates against small and medium-sized enterprises that cannot rely on union contracts. The new documentation obligations also drew fire from the business lobby.
The work-time debate is embedded in a wider legislative package. A pension commission is due to present recommendations on Tuesday, including the possible abolition of the “pension at 63” early-retirement option and a link between the retirement age and life expectancy. That would push the effective retirement age potentially to 70. The coalition committee will review the whole package in early July. Protests against longer hours and benefit cuts have already erupted in several German states.
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