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Red alert: Barnim employees work millions of hours of overtime!
In the Barnim district, 1.6 million overtime hours were worked, many of them unpaid. NGG calls for reforms for better working hours.
Red alert: Barnim employees work millions of hours of overtime!
The discussion about overtime and working time arrangements is becoming more and more widespread, and the Barnim district is no exception. Last year, around 1.6 million overtime hours were recorded here, as barnim-aktuell.de reports. What is striking is that around 842,000 of these hours were unpaid. These are alarming numbers that matter to both employees and employers.
A particular focus is on the catering industry, where around 38,000 hours of overtime were worked in hotels, restaurants and similar businesses - a figure that is not entirely surprising considering that 52% of these hours remain unpaid. This situation could become even worse as a result of the federal government's planned changes to the Working Hours Act. The Food, Pleasure and Restaurants union (NGG) warns of an increase in overtime and the potential health consequences.
Changes in the Working Hours Act
The new regulations aim to make the maximum weekly working hours more flexible. Instead of being limited to eight hours a day as was previously the case, in the future it will be set to a maximum of 48 hours a month in order to create more leeway for both employers and employees, according to boeckler.de. But the NGG raises concerns: “Longer working hours increase the risk of accidents at work and put a strain on the body and mind,” warns Sebastian Riesner, the managing director of the NGG Berlin-Brandenburg. The health risks associated with such reforms are also shown by comprehensive studies on the organization of working hours.
It should be particularly emphasized that excessive working hours are an increasing problem. According to the Federal Statistical Office, in 2024 7.2% of full-time employees regularly worked more than 48 hours a week. At 8.6%, men take on a higher share than women (4.5%). The figures also show that the pressure does not only fall on the shoulders of the self-employed, but that managers are also disproportionately affected: almost 25% of them work more than 48 hours per week. The situation is particularly explosive for part-time workers, as 61% of all part-time jobs in the Barnim district are carried out by women.
Health risks and social implications
The dangers of health damage caused by long working hours should not be underestimated. Experts warn that increased weekly hours can reduce regeneration time and thus endanger the health of employees. A survey by the Hans Böckler Foundation showed that the majority of full-time employees do not want to finish work later. But the reality is different: the proposed reforms could force more people to work for longer periods of time, which can not only lead to dissatisfaction but also increase sickness-related absences.
In nursing professions, where there are already high rates of illness, the desired deregulation represents an additional challenge that could jeopardize the quality of patient care. While the debate about flexible working hours is on the political agenda, the question remains as to how much flexibility is actually beneficial for employees and whether their health should be given greater priority.
Overall, there are indications that the labor market is facing financial and health challenges. The NGG therefore not only calls for reliable working hours that harmonize with childcare times, but also a rethink in the organization of working hours. It remains to be hoped that the voices of employees will be heard in the political debate and that a fair and healthy work culture will be promoted.