Germany’s Flexible Hours Blueprint Exposes Deep Rift Over Who Gets to Work 60-Hour Weeks

A draft law from Germany’s labour ministry would let companies stretch working time to 48 hours per week on average over the year — but only if a union or works council signs off. That condition, critics say, leaves roughly half the country’s employees untouched by the very flexibility the reform is supposed to deliver.

The proposal, prepared by Minister Bärbel Bas (SPD) and leaked in mid-June, replaces the rigid daily cap of eight hours with a weekly ceiling averaged over the calendar year. In theory, a worker could clock up to 60 hours in a single six-day week, provided the extra time is balanced out through shorter stints later on. A legally mandated rest period of at least 11 consecutive hours could also be trimmed under the new rules.

Yet the entire mechanism is locked behind a collective bargaining agreement or a firm-level works council deal. Without that foundation, the old eight-hour day stays in force. Because only about half of all German employees are covered by such agreements, the reform would have no practical effect for millions — especially in smaller companies and sectors with low union density.

Clocking In by Law

The draft carries another explosive clause: employers would be required to record the start, end and duration of each employee’s working day electronically and on the same day. While so-called Vertrauensarbeitszeit (trust-based working hours) would remain formally possible, critics argue the strict documentation demands would effectively kill the model. The ministry has described the text as an early internal working paper, insisting the goal is to reconcile modern work patterns with occupational health protection.

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Political Uproar From Right and Left

Opposition from the conservative CDU was immediate. General Secretary Carsten Linnemann, joined by MPs Marc Biadacz and Gitta Connemann, accused Minister Bas of breaking the coalition agreement. Their central objection targets the tariff reserve: the CDU wants flexibility for all workers, regardless of whether their employer is bound by a collective contract. Bavaria’s Minister-President Markus Söder also voiced blanket rejection.

Employer representatives went further. Rainer Dulger, head of the BDA employers’ association, demanded the draft be withdrawn, calling it out of touch with reality. The metal industry lobby Gesamtmetall described it as a step backward into old regulatory thinking. Small and medium-sized businesses, which are rarely part of collective agreements, see themselves as disadvantaged.

Unions Split Over the 48-Hour Benchmark

Labour representatives are not united. The DGB, Germany’s main trade union federation, defends the eight-hour day as a cornerstone of health protection. Officials from ver.di and the Hans-Böckler-Stiftung warn that allowing extended workweeks will overload employees and erode safety standards. Within the SPD, however, supporters argue the plan strengthens collective bargaining autonomy and enables modern forms of work without dismantling protections.

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