Working time

Since mid-January 2026, senior figures in the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), led by Chancellor Friedrich Merz, have reopened debate over Germany’s working time legislation. The party’s...

On 3 December 2025, Mexico’s left-wing government presented its proposed reform for a 40-hour week (compared to the current 48 hours). The bill submitted to the Senate provides for a gradual...

On 20 November, the US House of Representatives Committee on Education and Workforce passed two Republican-backed bills that would allow employers to compensate overtime with paid time off and...

Greece’s parliament approved a bill to liberalise labour rules on 16 October. The legislation allows employers to hire more easily, expands overtime, and permits working days of up to 13 hours...

In a 10 September ruling, the labour chamber of France’s Court of Cassation found that when working time is assessed weekly, employees may still qualify for overtime pay even if paid leave...

The Spanish parliament on 10 September rejected a bill that would have cut the standard working week from 40 to 37.5 hours with no loss of pay, effectively ending the proposal.

Talks between the government, the Luxembourg Confederation (CLC) and the LCGB and OGBL trade unions ended on 3 September without a full agreement. While a compromise was reached on pension reform...

Poland’s labour ministry on 14 August launched a pilot scheme to test shorter working hours, allowing companies to trial either a four-day week or reduced daily hours. Employers selected for the...

Austria’s economic pressures and a shortage of skilled workers have prompted business leaders and conservatives to urge people to put in longer hours. Yet nearly a third of the workforce is now...