Germany: leading industrial firm Trumpf places German staff on annual working hours

The social partners of industrial equipment supplier Trumpf, and the IG Metall trade union, recently signed a company agreement which sets in stone the decision to scrap weekly working hours. Instead, working hours will be annualised, in a change which seeks to reach a better balance between workload and time, to make business more efficient and profitable. The change also responds to the changes brought about by increasing digitalisation and seeks to help staff achieve a better work-life balance. In addition to implementing an arrangement and specific rules to govern the annual working time, the agreement also addresses the issue of work safety and training to increase versatility.
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Flexible annual working hours for all. The German firm, which specialises in industrial lasers and metal fabrication machinery, is already well known for being innovative in the area of working hours. Once again, Trumpf has taken a leading step forward. The agreement was negotiated this summer and is set to cover the period between 2016 and 2021. It renews a company agreement signed in 2011 which at the time introduced a new feature regarding working hours, with a truly flexible working scheme

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