Lobby Push for Longer Hours Meets Union Defiance as Berlin Eyes Work-Time Overhaul

Germany’s work-time rules are under pressure from opposite directions. Business groups want a more flexible daily limit, while labour representatives warn the move would endanger employee health. In the middle, a government draft bill is expected before the summer break.

A coalition of 14 industry associations—including the German Hotel and Restaurant Association (DEHOGA), the German Travel Association (DRV), and the Association of the German Trade Fair Industry (AUMA)—is calling for the current daily eight-hour maximum to be replaced by a weekly cap. The shift, they argue, would give employers the flexibility needed to cope with fluctuating demand and digital scheduling.

Support came from Christoph Ploß, the Union party’s tourism coordinator, who cited pledges from the National Tourism Strategy and urged swift implementation. Labour Minister Bärbel Bas confirmed a draft is due in June but has signalled reluctance to go as far as the lobbyists demand. How far the reform will actually go remains unresolved.

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Union leaders immediately pushed back. DGB chief Yasmin Fahimi accused the coalition of trying to shift the balance of power toward employers and pointed to research linking extended daily hours to significant health risks. Her warning came as the Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (BAuA) announced plans to examine a related topic: the risks of algorithmic management.

BAuA will host a workshop on 3 September 2026 in Berlin, focusing on the psychosocial strain caused by automated task assignment and worker monitoring. The event is part of a European project run by EU-OSHA and aims to feed findings into updated risk-assessment procedures. Attendance is capped at 30 and free; registration closes on 27 August. The goal is to adapt worker-protection rules to a digitalised work environment.

Tensions are visible at large manufacturers. At a works meeting in Volkswagen’s Salzgitter plant, works council chairman Björn Harmening spoke out against any weakening of the Working Time Act. He noted that a 2024 agreement rules out site closures, but the situation remains tense. High material costs and pressure in the electric-vehicle market are weighing on the company. In VW’s Zwickau plant the crisis is already tangible: headcount has fallen from more than 10,000 to around 8,000.

The working-time debate highlights how vital proper safety compliance is — and many UK employers may unknowingly have gaps in their documentation. A free toolkit with 9 ready-to-use tools, including risk assessments and a directors' liability guide, helps identify and close those gaps. Download the free Health & Safety at Work Act 1974 Toolkit

Amid the general push for flexibility, one part of the emergency-services sector has gone the other way. At the Interschutz trade fair in Hanover, the German Fire Brigade Union signed a first company-level collective agreement with the ASB rescue service in Hamburg. The deal introduces a 39.5-hour week, a 20% night premium, and full net wage top-ups during sick leave for up to 26 weeks.

Separately, the IHK Halle-Dessau chamber of commerce floated a model for a “choice pension” that would let workers decide their retirement age individually, with compensatory mechanisms for physically demanding jobs. The proposal is part of a broader debate on how to shape career trajectories in a more flexible labour market.

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