News update as of 24 November 2016

Germany/Labor Minister wants to allow business to test flexible working. During an interview on 19 November with the publication Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Germany’s Minister for Social Affairs and Labor, Andrea Nahles, announced that in response to wishes by both business and workers, she wanted to create the conditions for further working time flexibility. To this end the Minister intends to introduce, on a trial basis, exception clauses to the law on working time that will allow companies to derogate from the law under certain conditions. These exceptions will have to be covered by collective agreements that are negotiated by the social partners, be contained to a two-year period, and be subject to scientific monitoring. The Minister cited the case of Bosch as an example. Bosch allows its employees leave their jobs early to go and care for their families and then they can resume their work later in the evening with a company agreement specifying that voluntary evening work won’t qualify for bonuses.…