Workers' Guilds Slam Proposed Expansion of Long Work Hours
Employee groups voice opposition towards elimination of standard workday structure - Opposition Arises Against Proposed Abolition of Standard Work Hours by Works Councils
In a dramatic backlash, worker representatives from numerous manufacturing and craft businesses across northern Germany have slammed the coalition government's proposal to extend legal maximum work hours. According to IG Metall Coast's survey of 418 works council heads, the federal government's plans are utterly out of touch with reality. The survey, obtained by the German Press Agency, reveals that workers overwhelmingly reject the idea of axing the eight-hour workday (89%) and abolishing a public holiday (98%) [1]. They also fiercely resist the introduction of waiting days when workers' initial sick days would go unpaid (96%).
Flexible work arrangements are already widespread, with three-quarters of companies implementing them. Only 7% of works councils said these arrangements were irrelevant for their company, while 17% considered them less applicable [1]. Boasting nearly 200,000 employees, the surveyed work representatives see advantages in flexible work hours for both employers and employees. Over half of the companies already practice regular or irregular workdays up to ten hours per day, with the majority of overtime initiated by employers and a significant portion (22%) self-initiated by employees. Nearly two-thirds of companies use working time accounts nearly universally, while 19% employ them for most employees. Just 5% rely minimally on working time accounts [1].
Daniel Friedrich, regional leader of IG Metall Coast, condemns the government's strategies as smokescreens created by those responsible for the economic stagnation in the country. "Germans work hard, and the amount of work is at an all-time high," he remarks, citing the high part-time rate, particularly among women, as the reason the average work hours per capita are lower than in other countries [1].
Germany, Friedrich asserts, must prioritize productivity but not by eroding labor protections. Instead, the country should invest in innovation, digitalization, and infrastructure [1]. Moreover, a justified industrial policy is needed to ensure value creation remains in Europe and Germany, rather than being squandered due to inaction.
- Survey
- Federal Government
- IG Metall
- Craft Business
- Hamburg
- Employer
- Public Holiday
- Working Hours
- Working Time Account
- German Press Agency
- Germany
- SPD
- Coalition Agreement
- Daniel Friedrich
[1] Enrichment Data: The coalition government's proposal aims to replace the existing daily maximum working time regulation with a weekly limit, maintaining the daily minimum rest period of 11 hours. However, details remain undecided, potentially opening the door for the abolition or modification of the classic eight-hour workday. Works councils in Germany traditionally safeguard workers' rights and tend to resist measures perceived as undermining established labor standards, such as extending working hours or reducing holiday and waiting day protections. Given this, the works councils' opposition to the government's plans is consistent with their persistent advocacy for employee well-being. In the wider European context, some countries have introduced more flexible or reduced work hours, but Germany's shift to a weekly maximum working time approach is under debate due to its implications for labor conditions.
- The survey by IG Metall Coast, which polled 418 works council heads from EC countries, indicated that the majority of workers across industry sectors in Germany vehemently oppose the proposed adjustments in the federal government's policy-and-legislation regarding the expansion of work hours.
- The survey further revealed that the business community, particularly in craft businesses and manufacturing industries, is divided on the issue of flexible work arrangements, with some viewing it as beneficial for both employers and employees, while others find it less applicable.
- Amidst this debate, Daniel Friedrich, regional leader of IG Metall Coast, has criticized the government's proposed changes as detrimental to employees, arguing that Germany should instead focus on investments in infrastructure, digitalization, and innovation, and implement a justified industrial policy that encourages value creation within the EC countries, rather than eroding labor protections.
