Eight-Hour Work Day Gains Favor in DGB Poll - Eight-hour workday remains popular, according to DGB survey results
In the ongoing discourse surrounding German labor law reforms, the Working Hours Act (Arbeitszeitgesetz) has taken centre stage. As the government prepares to launch a social partner dialogue on the issue this Thursday, various opinions and public sentiments are shaping the conversation.
Recent legal reforms, such as the Bureaucracy Relief Act (Bürokratieentlastungsgesetz IV), effective from 1st January 2025, aim to simplify administrative processes in employment, but do not directly pertain to working hours. The focus, however, appears to be shifting towards greater flexibility in working hours, with plans to annualize working hours from 30th June 2025, following consultation with social partners.
The DGB (Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund), Germany's largest trade union, has expressed concerns about the potential abolition of the regular eight-hour day. DGB chairwoman Yasmin Fahimi has warned that this could expose employees without collective agreement protection to arbitrarily set working hours. She believes that the proposed changes ignore the reality of employees and could lead to employers increasingly dictating working hours in the future, as per government plans.
A YouGov survey has shed light on public opinion regarding the proposed changes. The survey revealed that while 38% of respondents support the government's plans to introduce a weekly working time limit instead of a daily one, around 20% rejected the proposal, and 37% remained neutral.
The survey also highlighted that 43 percent of respondents frequently or often exceed the eight-hour day. If given the opportunity to determine their own working hours, around three out of four would work a maximum of eight hours a day. Nearly 60 percent would choose a start time between 7 and 9 am, and if employees could decide their own start and end times, 95 percent would like to end their workday at 6 pm.
Interestingly, employees with children are more likely to work with such an interruption (17 percent) than those without children (9 percent). The option to divide the workday and make up for it in the evening seems unattractive to the majority of employees.
The coalition agreement states that specific details will be determined through dialogue with social partners. The Union and SPD aim to introduce a weekly framework for working hours instead of the usual eight-hour day. However, the current status of social partner negotiations on the Working Hours Act remains unclear, with no specific details about the DGB’s position or the outcomes of recent discussions available in the search results.
For a precise, up-to-date overview of the DGB’s stance, consulting the latest DGB publications or official government statements would be necessary. The dialogue on the Working Hours Act is set to continue this Thursday, with the launch of the social partner dialogue, promising further insights into the direction of German labor law reforms.
- Employees, through the YouGov survey, have expressed a preference for a maximum of eight hours of work per day if given the opportunity to determine their own working hours, and a majority would like to end their workday at 6 pm.
- In the context of German labor law reforms, there is a focus on vocational training as the government prepares to launch a social partner dialogue on the Working Hours Act (Arbeitszeitgesetz) this Thursday.
- The DGB, in light of the proposed changes in the Working Hours Act, has raised concerns about the potential abolition of the regular eight-hour day and the impact it might have on employee health-and-wellness in the workplace, particularly in terms of finance and business.
