“Squeeze the workforce like a lemon”: Ampel rejects longer working hours

A push by the Bavarian Minister of Labor and Social Affairs for longer working hours has caused criticism nationwide. “What the CSU is proposing to extend the daily working hours is a declaration of war on millions of employees in the country who keep the shop running day after day,” SPD General Secretary Kevin Kühnert told the Tagesspiegel.

Bavaria’s Social Affairs Minister Ulrike Scharf (CSU) had previously proposed making working hours more flexible and allowing more than ten hours a day to work. “We finally have to adapt the working time laws to the reality of people’s living environments,” she told the Rheinische Post.

According to the CSU politician, longer working hours on individual days could help to better reconcile family and work. In addition, this could increase the employment rate.

Increasing working hours is a crazy idea.

Anja Piel from the DGB categorically rejects an extension of working hours

Kühnert called the argument perfidious and recommended that Scharf change her job description to “Employer Minister”. “Instead of supporting the federal government in its efforts to attract urgently needed skilled workers by increasing female employment and immigration and thus providing relief for employees, the CSU would rather squeeze the current workforce like a lemon,” criticized Kühnert.

With the SPD there will be no extension of working hours. “Anyone who wants to recruit skilled workers must improve employment conditions, recruit immigrants and improve the female employment rate, for example by making family and career more compatible,” said Kühnert.

So far, a maximum of ten hours of work per day is permitted – but only in exceptional cases

Anja Piel, board member of the German Trade Union Confederation (DGB), attacked the advance sharply. “Increasing working hours is a crazy idea,” she told the Tagesspiegel. Long working hours would make you ill, and the risk of mistakes and accidents increases exponentially after nine hours of work. “The flimsy attempt to burden the employees with the challenges of the shortage of skilled workers is a cheap sham solution without a social compass,” criticized Piel.

The spokesman for labor and social affairs of the Greens in the Bundestag, Frank Bsirske, also criticized the proposals. “Excessively long working hours and insufficient rest periods are demonstrably a health risk for employees,” said the former chairman of the verdi union. Especially in construction, extremely long working hours of more than ten hours are also a safety risk.

So far, a maximum of ten hours of work per day is permitted – but only in exceptional cases. In addition, the statutory working time of eight hours a day on average may not be exceeded over a period of six months. This serves to protect employees.

The way can only lead through collective agreements.

Axel Knoerig, CDU labor market expert, is open to longer working hours

The Union parliamentary group, on the other hand, was open to longer working hours to a limited extent. “It must be clarified responsibly where it is justifiable,” said Axel Knoerig, chairman of the workers’ group of the CDU / CSU parliamentary group, the daily mirror. “The way can only lead through collective agreements,” he said.

The upper limit must remain at twelve hours a day. “Where it works, it must be guaranteed that it actually means more autonomy for the employees,” said Knoerig. And further: “In addition, the additional burdens must be compensated.”

For years there have been repeated calls from companies to relax the Working Hours Act. In the coalition agreement, however, the traffic light parties have explicitly committed to the eight-hour day. In order to counter the shortage of skilled workers in Germany, the federal government passed the key points for a new law on the immigration of skilled workers in the cabinet on Wednesday.

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