Overview
- Labor Minister Bärbel Bas said a draft law due in June will shift Germany’s working‑time rules from a daily eight‑hour limit to a single weekly maximum.
- Current law caps work at eight hours a day, extendable to ten with averaging, and sets a 48‑hour weekly ceiling, which the reform would replace with only a weekly cap.
- Legal scholars at the Hugo‑Sinzheimer‑Institut calculated that, given the 11‑hour daily rest rule, a six‑day schedule could reach 73.5 hours in extreme weeks even as longer‑term averages stay at 48.
- Trade unions warned of 12‑ to 13‑hour days and said sectors like hospitality, baking, and food production face higher strain and health risks for workers.
- The plan also responds to EU rules and a 2019 court ruling that require daily time recording, and the government says the bill will mandate electronic tracking to curb abuse.