(de-news.net) – The CDU/CSU is moving on with proposals to replace the conventional eight-hour workday with a 48-hour weekly working-time limit, claiming that more flexibility might be advantageous to both employers and employees. Business executives and Chancellor Friedrich Merz have urged quicker implementation, citing the need for more flexible schedules and economic challenges. Parts of the SPD and trade unions, who have demanded protections, are critical of the proposal. The main topic of discussion, however, is how to strike a balance between corporate competitiveness and labor-market flexibility while maintaining sufficient downtime and distinct boundaries between work and personal life.

Thorsten Frei, chairman of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group in Germany’s Bundestag, has renewed calls to replace the country’s strict eight-hour daily working limit with a more flexible system, arguing that the change could give employers and employees greater control over their schedules and improve work-life balance. Under the coalition agreement between the conservative Christian Democrats and the center-left Social Democrats, the government committed to introducing a weekly maximum working time in line with the European Working Time Directive, shifting the focus from daily limits to the distribution of hours across the week.

The proposal, however, has faced resistance within the SPD, where several party groups, including its youth organization, the Jusos, have called for safeguards before the reform takes effect. Their demands include limiting the new arrangements to workplaces covered by collective bargaining agreements and requiring comprehensive electronic recording of working hours. Trade unions have also repeatedly expressed concerns about changing the existing framework, underscoring the tension between demands for greater scheduling flexibility and the protection of employees’ working conditions.

Merz presents longer shifts as an opportunity

Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) has framed the proposed changes as an opportunity for businesses and their employees, arguing that a less rigid system could accommodate different working patterns and provide more time away from work. Speaking at the annual conference of the German Employers’ Association in Berlin, he cited international companies where employees reportedly work 12-hour shifts three days a week. According to Merz, such schedules can give workers greater flexibility and more time for family life.

Merz argued that working more than eight hours a day should not automatically be regarded as exploitation if employees benefit from a more adaptable distribution of their working time. He also called for the government to move quickly on legislation to make working hours more flexible, describing the proposed bill as overdue. In addition to changes to working-time rules, the chancellor advocated expanding employers’ options for fixed-term contracts and easing dismissal protections for high earners, placing the working-hours debate within a broader push for labor-market flexibility.

Skilled trades call for faster action

Jörg Dittrich, president of the German Confederation of Skilled Crafts, has urged Labor Minister Alexander Schweitzer of the SPD to implement the coalition’s commitments on flexible working hours without further delay. Dittrich criticized the Labor Ministry for failing to produce sufficiently developed legislative proposals, arguing that the preliminary plans did not adequately reflect the coalition agreement. He said businesses and employees, particularly those in the skilled trades, needed greater discretion in organizing their working schedules.

Dittrich maintained that giving businesses more room to adapt their operations would not require dismantling the welfare state. In his view, social solidarity should extend not only to people who have lost their jobs but also to companies whose business models face substantial pressure. If more flexible working hours could help those businesses manage difficult conditions, he argued, they should be allowed to test such arrangements rather than face further delays.

The economic climate in the skilled trades provides context for those demands. During the first half of the year, the sector’s business climate index remained close to levels recorded during the coronavirus pandemic, indicating persistently weak confidence. Dittrich cited the subdued mood as evidence of the pressures confronting businesses and the need to consider measures that could give them greater operational flexibility.

Volkswagen raises the prospect of longer working hours

The debate has also reached Germany’s automotive industry, where Volkswagen CEO Oliver Blume has raised the possibility of increasing working hours for the automaker’s approximately 130,000 employees in Germany. Blume said labor costs in Germany were roughly twice as high as those in some other European countries where Volkswagen operates, prompting the company to reconsider existing arrangements amid competitive pressures.

Potential measures include increasing annual working time by reducing vacation days or extending weekly hours without a corresponding increase in pay. Blume said these possibilities would need to be negotiated over the coming weeks and months. His comments add another dimension to the broader debate, linking the proposed reform not only to employee scheduling and work-life balance but also to companies’ efforts to address labor costs.

Weekly limits instead of fixed eight-hours as safeguards remain important

Under a reform, Germany could replace its fixed eight-hour daily limit with a maximum weekly working time of 48 hours, allowing employers to distribute hours more freely across the week. In practice, this could mean longer working days followed by additional days off, rather than a uniform daily schedule. Supporters view that change as a way to accommodate different business needs and working arrangements, while unions warn that it could weaken protections designed to safeguard employees’ health. The existing Working Time Act already allows working days of up to 10 hours, provided the additional hours are balanced within the applicable reference period. Section 5 of the law also requires an uninterrupted rest period of 11 hours. The proposed changes would therefore build on a system that already permits some variation in daily working hours, while shifting the central limit toward the total time worked over a week.

Greater flexibility could also make it more difficult to maintain clear boundaries between professional responsibilities and private life. This concern is particularly relevant to trust-based working arrangements, under which employees may have greater autonomy but can also face growing expectations to remain available during evenings and weekends. Without clear rules, flexibility intended to benefit workers could contribute to a gradual extension of working time beyond formal schedules. Employers may therefore need stronger internal safeguards as working-time arrangements evolve. These could include limits on exceptionally long shifts, restrictions on consecutive demanding shifts, clearly defined rest periods, and transparent rules governing contact outside working hours. Predictable scheduling and practical compensation arrangements would also help clarify how longer working days should be balanced by time off.

Ultimately, the viability of more flexible working-time models will depend not only on how weekly hours are distributed but also on the conditions under which employees work. Clear workload limits, reliable planning, and enforceable expectations for rest and availability would remain important considerations for businesses seeking greater flexibility while maintaining sustainable working arrangements.