Work more and longer?: Study: New “weekly working hours” brings twelve-hour days

According to the union-related Hans Böckler Foundation, the planned switch to a weekly working time would lead to overly long working days of up to twelve hours and 15 minutes. The consequences would be health risks, more days of illness and more pressure on families, warns an analysis of the Hugo Sinzheim Institute for Labor Law (HSI) of the foundation. The innovation could “even have an economically counterproductive effect,” it says. Employers’ associations reject such concerns.

According to the coalition agreement, the Federal Government wants to “create a weekly instead of a daily maximum working time”. However, “the applicable rest time regulations would be retained”. This means that there must be at least eleven hours between two layers. In addition, the HSI experts have to be planned for 45 minutes during working hours. Nevertheless, the option of a working day is more than twelve hours.

Protest of the unions

The unions have been running storm for weeks against the farewell of the eight-hour day that has been customary since 1918. DGB boss Yasmin Fahimi renewed her criticism in the “Rheinische Post” (Friday): “It is more about legalizing legally questionable business models, such as regular twelve-hour layers for subcontractors in parcel service or the lack of rest periods in the hotel and hospitality industry.”

The HSI analysis now collects the arguments against the coalition plans:

Warning of health risks

“It has long been proven that working hours of more than eight hours endanger health,” says the paper. In the long term there are more stress -related and psychological ailments, which in turn are reason for absenteeism and premature resignation from working life. The risk of accident also increases from the eighth working hours – both at the workplace and on the subsequent trip.

However, the coalition agreement states that “the high standards in occupational safety” would be retained. And: “No employee may be forced to work for higher working hours against his will.”

Compatibility of family and work

The coalition agreement also says that the innovation would “be in the sense of a better reconciliation of family and work”. The HSI analysis contradicts: “The predictability and predictability of working hours represent important key factors for the compatibility of work and family. The effect of further reduction in gainful employment is threatened.”

The Federal Association of German Employers’ Associations (BDA), on the other hand, kept, many employees wanted more flexibility for family reasons. “Dangers are excluded from the continuing duties of granting rest times,” said BDA general manager Steffen Kampeter. A new legal framework does not change anything to individually or agreed working hours. “The criticism has been drawn to the hair,” he said.

Applicable working time law

The HSI experts state that the applicable law is already flexible and – under certain conditions – allow working days of up to ten hours. In addition, the working time volume of dependent employees in Germany in 2023 with 54.59 billion hours was well above the level of 52.2 billion hours in 1991.

However, the HSI admits, citing figures from the Institute for Labor Market and Vocational Research: “According to IAB in 1991, the average working time of the employees was around 1,478 hours and 1,295 hours in 2023.” The reason: Almost a third of the employees worked part -time in 2023. This results in an average working time of all employees of 34.7 hours a week in a European comparison. “A softening of the Working Hours Act would not improve on these contexts, on the contrary,” my HSI authors.

More supporters than opponents

In the population, many see the coalition plans less skeptical than the unions. In a YouGov survey on behalf of the German Press Agency, 38 percent of the respondents recently supported the advance for a weekly instead of a daily maximum working time. Every fifth (20 percent) rejects the plan, 37 percent see this neutral. For example, followers of a weekly working time hope to work five times eight four times ten hours instead of having a long weekend.