Overview
- At a New Year reception of the Chamber of Industry and Commerce in Halle on January 15, Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he would probably repeal the Arbeitszeitgesetz.
- He contended that company-level and collective bargaining partners can regulate working time without legislative mandates.
- The governing coalition has already pledged to enable a weekly rather than daily cap on working hours, a shift trade unions view skeptically.
- Merz described early signs of an economic upturn, citing rising orders and a surge in start-ups, and said growth above one percent should be reached by the end of 2026.
- He called for shelving SPD inheritance-tax reform discussions until the Federal Constitutional Court’s expected 2026 ruling to avoid unsettling succession in mid-sized firms.