Germany’s Coalition Haggles Over Ending 8-Hour Day as July Deadline Looms
15.06.2026 - 02:22:44 | boerse-global.de
A make-or-break meeting on July 1 will decide whether Germany scraps its rigid daily working-time cap in favour of a weekly limit — a long-promised reform that has exposed deep fault lines between unions, employers and the coalition partners.
The so-called Koalitionsausschuss is expected to settle the dispute after months of internal wrangling. If an agreement holds, the government would overhaul the Arbeitszeitgesetz to allow employees to work more than eight hours on some days, provided the weekly average stays within legal bounds. The change would align German law with the EU Working Time Directive, which sets a maximum 48-hour week rather than a daily ceiling.
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Digital time tracking becomes mandatory — for everyone
A central piece of the package is a requirement for all companies to introduce digital time recording. Labour Minister Bärbel Bas has been tasked with drafting a concrete proposal by the July 1 session. Currently, firms must record overtime but not every minute worked; the new rule would close that loophole.
CDU parliamentary leader Jens Spahn had pressed for action in mid-June, telling reporters the reform was “long overdue.” He argued that a weekly view would improve work-life balance. “Modern working life demands flexibility — for families, for shift workers, for the economy,” he said.
SPD signals support but insists on worker protections
Dirk Wiese, the SPD’s chief whip, said he expects an agreement with the Union. “I am confident we will reach a compromise,” he stated. At the same time, SPD deputy spokesman Jan Dieren made clear that employee interests must come first. “Improving the compatibility of work and private life while complying with European standards is decisive for us,” Dieren explained.
The Greens expressed openness to more flexible models but insisted that the eight-hour day, viewed as a protective floor, must remain a default. Union representatives and the Left Party squarely oppose the plan, warning it will erode safeguards. Employers’ associations, eager to boost competitiveness through flexible scheduling, are pushing hard for the change. The AfD has so far seen no need for any reform at all.
Deadline pressures intensify as competing interests collide
Negotiations are running in parallel across multiple working groups. The July 1 date is considered the final deadline to iron out how to balance corporate flexibility with worker protection. If a deal emerges, it will define the legal framework for future working hours and provide legal certainty on time recording — a subject that has been in legal limbo ever since a 2019 European Court of Justice ruling requiring systematic timekeeping.
