Overview
- Employers led by BDA president Rainer Dulger have renewed public calls to replace the eight‑hour daily limit with a weekly maximum, saying the current law is outdated and other EU countries use weekly rules without higher sickness rates.
- Trade unions, led by DGB deputies including Stefan Körzell and Anja Piel, have sharply rejected any rollback of the eight‑hour day and warned expanded exceptions could allow daily shifts up to 13 hours in firms without collective agreements.
- A first draft from the Federal Labour Ministry leaked in mid‑June proposed wider exceptions but largely left the eight‑hour rule intact, and the coalition formally postponed flexibilization in early July when it agreed a broader reform package.
- Coverage on Sunday highlighted hardened rhetoric between employer and union leaders while reiterating Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s statement that a formal legislative draft from Minister Bas is expected in the autumn.
- Under current law workers are limited to eight hours a day, extendable to ten with compensatory time within six months, while the EU Working Time Directive frames limits around a 48‑hour weekly maximum, making the autumn draft the key next step to watch.