Eight-hour day in danger: Government is planning controversial reform!

Eight-hour day in danger: Government is planning controversial reform!

Deutschland - The federal government plans a comprehensive reform of the labor market that questions the traditional eight-hour day. This is part of a project that is anchored in the coalition agreement between the Union and the SPD and strives for a weekly maximum working hours instead of the daily working hours. The aim of this reform is to create more flexibility for both employees and companies and to improve the compatibility of family and work, such as Merkur reported.

The initiative has already triggered sharp reviews. Gregor Gysi expressed concerns about the left and warned that the eight-hour day, which has been an important goal of social democracy and the unions since its legal introduction in 1919, could be at risk. He fears that the reform could have negative effects on employees and criticized Karl Lauterbach (SPD) in particular. In this context, the German Trade Union Confederation (DGB) warned that working hours may lead to more unpaid overtime and health problems.

flexibility or devaluations?

The new regulatory concept could theoretically lead to a ten-hour day four days a week, which would give employees an additional day off per week. However, studies, including an analysis by the Hugo Sinzheim Institute, show that working days of twelve hours or more are not excluded. Despite these concerns, CDU general secretary Carsten Linnemann makes it clear that it is not an increase in weekly working hours, but more scope in daily working hours.

According to a YouGov survey, 38 percent of those surveyed support the reform prompt, while 20 percent are against it and 37 percent remain neutral. These different positions illustrate the split attitude of the population on this topic.

flexible working time models in focus

As part of the discussion about the working time reform, the focus is on flexible working time models. These models, such as flexitors, working time accounts and teleworking, offer workers the opportunity to design their working hours themselves. Destatis emphasizes that 38.8 %of employees in 2017 had a major influence at work, whereby the influence between men (39.9 %) and women (37.4 %) slightly varied. The differences are clear in various forms of employment: 70.3 % of managers have a major impact on their working hours, while only 19.4 % of workers enjoy this influence.

Taking into account the development over the years, in 2010 37.8 % of employees between the ages of 15 and 64 in flexible working time models. These flexible regulations offer numerous advantages, but also when used, there can be restrictions, especially in service professions and in the craft, where the flexibility is lower.