Günter Krings, deputy parliamentary group leader of the Union, has called on the SPD not to block the reform of the Working Hours Act agreed in the coalition agreement. In an interview with WELT TV, Krings stressed that contracts must be kept – that applies to both sides. He expressed confidence that the SPD would not simply ignore the agreement.
In the coalition agreement, the Union and SPD agreed to replace the daily maximum working time of eight hours with a weekly limit – in line with the EU Working Time Directive. Currently, a daily working time of a maximum of eight hours applies, which can be extended to ten hours in exceptional cases, with a weekly maximum of 48 hours. Krings pointed to other European countries that have already implemented similar regulations.
According to Krings, Federal Minister of Labor Bärbel Bas (SPD) is now called upon to submit a draft law. Bas plans to link the reform with mandatory digital working time recording. The SPD’s parliamentary secretary, Dirk Wiese, expressed optimism that an agreement would be reached. He emphasized that the goal is not to abolish the Working Hours Act but to introduce a weekly maximum working time combined with digital recording to avoid unpaid overtime.
The Left Party strictly rejects the project. Parliamentary group leader Heidi Reichinnek described the plans as “hardly surpassable in audacity” and warned of a weakening of employee protection.
Source: www.welt.de
