German Union Warns 12-Hour Workdays Could Become the New Normal Under Government Plans
Published on 07/27/2026 at 07:33 | Redaktion boerse-global.de
The Food, Beverages and Catering Union (NGG) launched a blistering attack on July 26, 2026 against the German government's proposal to loosen the Working Hours Act, arguing that the traditional eight-hour day faces an existential threat. The union warns that what it calls "XL workdays" — shifts stretching 10 to 12 hours — could become routine, with devastating consequences for worker health and family life.
Union statements over the weekend highlighted that current regulations already permit up to 48 hours of work per week under specific conditions. But the proposed changes could push that ceiling dramatically higher, allowing as many as 73.5 hours in exceptional cases. The NGG rejects this outright, saying it shatters both physical and psychological limits for employees.
Safety concerns form a core part of the union's argument. Research cited by the NGG shows that after 12 hours on the job, the accident rate doubles compared to the start of a shift. Fatigue and dwindling concentration drive error rates sharply upward as the hours pile on. Beyond immediate dangers, the organization warned on July 25, 2026 that chronic overwork conditions would likely become more common, making it essential to preserve the eight-hour day as a matter of occupational health protection.
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Women and Single Parents Face the Heaviest Burden
The social toll worries the NGG just as much. Ten- to twelve-hour workdays, the union argues, would wreck the balance between career and private life — and hit some groups far harder than others. Statistics show that roughly 51% of women and about 42% of single parents would be disproportionately affected by the new rules, since they already shoulder most unpaid care work. For these individuals, longer mandatory presence at the workplace would make everyday logistics far more difficult, if not impossible.
Rather than expanding working hours, the NGG is pressing the federal government to strengthen support structures for working parents. The union's central demand: a massive increase in childcare places. Only reliable daycare, the NGG contends, can sustainably address the skilled-labor shortage without endangering the health of those already in the workforce through excessive hours.
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In statements released on July 25 and 26, 2026, the union emphasized that modern working-time models need protective guardrails — they must not lead to a blurring of boundaries between work and life. Holding the line at the legal maximum of eight hours per day remains a core demand, the NGG said, to secure both social stability and workers' long-term health.
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