Germany Braces for Showdown Over Plan to Ditch 8-Hour Workday and Embrace Weekly Hours

A high-stakes meeting on Wednesday will bring together coalition leaders, trade unions and business lobbies as Berlin pushes forward with a controversial overhaul of Germany's working-time law. At the centre of the dispute is a proposal to replace the country's daily 8-hour upper limit with a weekly cap, a shift the government says will inject much-needed flexibility into the labour market.

The current version of the Arbeitszeitgesetz mandates that workers cannot exceed eight hours per day. The planned reform would instead allow employees to spread their hours across the week, potentially enabling shifts longer than 12 hours on individual days.

DGB chief slams "economically and socially misguided agenda"

Yasmin Fahimi, head of the German Trade Union Confederation (DGB), condemned the plans championed by Chancellor Friedrich Merz. She warned that the change would open the door to shifts of up to 13 hours, undermining domestic demand and placing an unsustainable burden on workers. “Positive effects on economic growth? None,” she said in a statement.

Fahimi pointed out that thousands of collective bargaining agreements already provide flexible working models. A legislative intervention, she argued, would primarily serve employers seeking to legitimise unauthorised overtime. The DGB also highlighted that 2024 saw a record high in total hours worked, suggesting the current system is not holding back output.

The opposition Left party tabled a motion on the issue in the Bundestag earlier this year, keeping the debate simmering for months.

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Labour minister lays down conditions

Federal Labour Minister Bärbel Bas (SPD) has signalled openness to greater flexibility, but only under strict conditions. She insists that extra hours must never be forced against workers' will. Her demands include:

• mandatory electronic time recording
• continued observance of collective bargaining agreements
• stronger co-determination rights for works councils
• protection of work-life balance and family compatibility

Bas is also pushing for a parallel tax relief package for low and middle earners, amounting to at least €500 per year. She wants the measure to take effect on 1 January 2027. Without such compensation, she told reporters, the reform would be impossible to sell to those affected.

Scientists warn of 12-hour days and rising accident risks

Trade unions are receiving backing from academic researchers. Experts at the Hans-Böckler-Stiftung caution that switching from a daily to a weekly maximum would legally permit workdays exceeding 12 hours. Occupational science studies show that after the eighth hour the risk of accidents climbs steeply.

A survey by the institute's Economic and Social Sciences Department (WSI) found that three-quarters of employees expect the change to worsen their work-life balance.

Employers, however, are demanding rapid action. Gesamtmetall President Stefan Dinglreiter called for lower labour costs, while the CDU/CSU parliamentary group points to demographic decline. Over the next 10 to 15 years, they estimate, the workforce will shrink by roughly four million people, making higher per-capita output unavoidable.

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Political timetable: key decisions due by end of June

The coalition has set an ambitious schedule. It aims to agree on the core elements of a reform package by 30 June, with the summer break beginning on 10 July. Wednesday's meeting is seen as a chance to keep dialogue open rather than produce concrete breakthroughs—both Union and SPD representatives have played down expectations.

Parallel to the working-time debate, the government is awaiting recommendations from the pension commission, expected in mid-June. Among other items, the commission is examining whether members of parliament and civil servants should be included in the statutory pension insurance system.

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