Fri, 19 Jun 2026 Kyiv 11:47Berlin 10:47London 09:47 UKR / DE / EN

Working Hours Act: Union Rejects SPD Draft

CDU General Secretary Carsten Linnemann has rejected a draft from the Federal Ministry of Labour to reform the Working Hours Act. The proposal deviates from the flexibilization agreed in the coalition agreement, as reported by ZEIT.

Working Hours Act: Union Rejects SPD Draft
Photo: img.zeit.de

The draft from the Federal Ministry of Labour proposes that companies could introduce flexible weekly working hours instead of a daily maximum. Linnemann stated that the paper does not correspond to the agreement in the coalition agreement and therefore cannot serve as a basis for the coalition’s further work.

Criticism also comes from the social policy spokesperson of the Union faction, Marc Biadacz (CDU). He criticized that the new regulation should only apply to companies bound by collective agreements. The weekly maximum working hours must apply to all employees, regardless of collective bargaining coverage. He also demanded that the option of trust-based working hours be maintained in all companies.

The Federal Ministry of Labour emphasized that this is an internal working draft that has not yet been finalized. The draft had previously become known through media reports.

Source: www.zeit.de