Germany’s Labour Law Revamp Sparks Dispute Over Weekly Hours and Heat Safety

With the mercury climbing and the Hitzeaktionstag (Heat Action Day) falling on 11 June 2026, Germany’s statutory accident insurer, the Deutsche Gesetzliche Unfallversicherung (DGUV), has renewed its call for stricter heat-protection measures in the workplace. The warning is stark: once the thermometer hits 30°C, the risk of workplace accidents climbs roughly 7 percent. Cognitive performance begins to slip as early as 27°C, raising concerns about both safety and productivity. Austria already introduced a dedicated heat-protection regulation earlier this year, putting added pressure on Berlin to follow suit.

Yet the heat debate is just one front in a broader confrontation over the future of Germany’s Arbeitszeitgesetz (Working Hours Act). The government is pushing to replace the current daily maximum working time with a weekly limit, a move the German Trade Union Confederation (DGB) denounces as an “ideologically misguided path.” DGB chair Yasmin Fahimi warns that the change could legally permit shifts of up to 13 hours. The coalition committee is set to debate next steps on 10 June 2026.

At present, the law sets a daily cap of eight hours per working day, extendable to ten if the average over a balancing period complies. Opponents of the reform argue that a weekly cap would erode fundamental protections, especially the statutory 11-hour rest period between shifts.

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Overtime compensation is governed by Section 612 of the German Civil Code (BGB), which states that extra work must be offset either through pay or time off in lieu. Employees who opt for cash, however, face full taxation on those additional earnings—and potentially a change in tax bracket. An alternative gaining traction is the Lebensarbeitszeitkonto (working-life time account), where overtime is banked over years and later used for sabbaticals or early retirement. According to current data, the average German employee worked 28.2 hours of overtime in 2024. A government initiative to make overtime premiums of up to 25 percent of base pay tax-free remains in the draft stage.

Accurate timekeeping remains a battlefield, particularly in the home office. A survey of 1,000 participants conducted by the Institute Consumerfieldwork found that around 13 percent regularly fail to record their working hours correctly, while three-quarters admit to occasionally handling private errands during work time. A recent court ruling underscores the risks: a logistics employee was dismissed after repeatedly arriving well before her shift started, contrary to explicit instructions. The courts deemed this a breach of trust and insubordination, confirming that persistent disregard for company time-recording rules can carry serious labour-law consequences in Germany.

On travel time, a ruling by the European Court of Justice (EuGH) in October 2025 clarified that commuting to and from external work locations generally counts as working time. By contrast, private appointments such as doctor visits fall outside working hours unless the medical examination is medically compulsory during the workday—a condition rooted in Section 616 of the BGB.

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