German coalition clashes over draft working hours law

A draft law to reform Germany's Working Hours Act has ignited a fierce dispute within the ruling coalition, with the Union bloc accusing Labor Minister Bärbel Bas of betraying agreed-upon terms. Carsten Linnemann, the CDU's general secretary, declared the circulating draft "no basis for further work in the coalition," asserting it fails to meet the agreements laid out in the coalition treaty.

Gitta Connemann, chairwoman of the SME and Business Union, echoed this sentiment, emphasizing that the coalition contract left "no room for interpretation." She stated that agreements were made to shift from a daily to a weekly maximum working hour limit, preserve trust-based working time, and implement uncomplicated working time recording. Connemann insisted that Minister Bas's draft only marginally aligns with these commitments and demanded revisions, invoking the principle of "pacta sunt servanda" – agreements must be kept.

The controversy centers on a 21-page draft law circulating in Berlin. While the coalition treaty stipulated the "possibility of a weekly instead of a daily maximum working time," the draft reportedly restricts this flexibility to companies with collective bargaining agreements, affecting only about half of Germany's workforce. For employees without union contracts, the daily limit would remain. Furthermore, the draft links any relaxation of hours to specific rules ensuring employee health protection and mandates electronic recording of working hours' start, end, and duration.

Employer representatives have reacted with outrage. Rainer Dulgert, president of the employers' association, called the draft "full of mistrust in employers and their employees" and demanded its withdrawal. The draft's stipulations, particularly the limited scope of flexibility and the mandatory electronic tracking, are viewed by business leaders as an imposition.