The key provisions of the long-awaited reform of Germany’s Working Time Act were leaked to the German press last week. In the 21-page document currently circulating—which the Ministry of Labour stresses “has not yet been finally approved”—Bärbel Bas, who is also co-chair of the centre-left SPD, retains the eight-hour working day as the reference standard, in line with the position defended by trade unions. At the same time, social partners would be able to negotiate longer working days and establish weekly rather than daily working time limits.
As a Berlin correspondent for the French and Swiss press since the late 1990s, I cover a wide range of economic, political and social issues, with a particular focus on the German business and labour market. My areas of interest include co-determination, digitalisation, demographics and ESG/DEI policies.