Germany is considering its most ambitious labor reform yet: it aims to eliminate the daily limit of eight working hours.

BERLIN. – Germany is preparing to open one of the most delicate labor debates in Europe. The coalition government, composed of the center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and Christian Social Union (CSU), and the center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD), is pushing for a reform that seeks to make the historic maximum daily working hours of eight more flexible, and in certain cases, replace it with a system based on a weekly working limit. A worker at a Salzgitter AG steel company furnace in Salzgitter, Germany. Markus Schreiber - AP. The initiative, which Labor Minister Bärbel Bas will formally present to the Bundestag in June, has already generated strong opposition from unions and threatens to become a new dispute over the future of the European labor market, according to the newspaper Welt. The government argues that the goal is not to increase the total number of working hours, but to offer greater flexibility and facilitate work-life balance. Currently, German law establishes a general maximum daily working hours of eight and a weekly limit of 48 hours. The official proposal seeks to modify this logic to allow for a more flexible distribution of working hours throughout the week. Two train drivers are seen in the locomotive of a train parked outside the central station in Frankfurt, Germany. Michael Probst - AP. In practice, the change would open the possibility of extending some working days in exchange for reducing others, according to the Huffington Post. The German government argues that this adaptation would allow for a better response to new employment models, variable sector needs, and more flexible forms of organization. Bas also defended another key aspect of the reform: the mandatory implementation of an electronic working hours recording system. According to the Social Democratic Minister, the measure aims to protect workers in sectors with less bargaining power, especially in areas such as delivery, logistics, parcel services, and precarious jobs. The German government believes that digital monitoring of working hours would help prevent abuses and ensure effective limits on working time. The initiative also brings Germany closer to a trend that several European countries have begun to implement following various rulings by the European Court of Justice on the mandatory recording of working hours. Trains parked in front of a station in Frankfurt, Germany. Michael Probst - AP. The proposal comes at a particular time for Europe. In recent years, much of the continental labor debate has revolved around the four-day workweek, reduced working hours, and policies to reduce stress and improve work-life balance. However, the German approach takes a different direction. Berlin is not proposing to work fewer total hours, but to redistribute them with greater flexibility. The focus of the discussion shifts from reducing working hours to adapting businesses and organizing flexible schedules. A Volkswagen factory in Germany. The union reaction was swift. The German Trade Union Confederation (DGB) strongly rejected the proposal. Its president, Yasmin Fahimi, publicly questioned the initiative and warned that she can only "advise against it." Unions fear that the reform will ultimately lead to longer working hours, increased pressure on businesses, and weaken historical social protection mechanisms. They also warn of a possible increase in burnout in a country that already faces problems with an aging population and a shortage of skilled labor. On the other hand, business sectors and conservative leaders support the initiative. The Minister of Economy, Katherina Reiche, had previously called for the rapid implementation of a flexible weekly system for all economic activities. Supporters of the project argue that current regulations are too rigid for industries with variable workloads and that Germany needs to modernize its labor market to remain competitive against other European countries and global economies. Germany.