Up to 13-Hour Workdays Proposed as Berlin Overhauls Labour Law; Protest Wave Builds
Published on 06/16/2026 at 06:33 | Redaktion boerse-global.de
Germany’s social safety net is bleeding an estimated €41.4 billion a year from tariff flight and wage dumping, according to DGB analyses. The total damage from declining collective-bargaining coverage has reached €123 billion annually — and it is against this backdrop that the federal coalition is pushing through the most sweeping labour-market changes in decades.
The core of the plan: scrap the daily eight-hour maximum. In its place, weekly limits would set the ceiling, meaning shifts of up to 13 hours would become legal as long as the weekly total stays within bounds. Currently, the law caps daily work at eight hours, with a rare extension to ten. Union parliamentary manager Dirk Wiese expects an agreement with the CDU/CSU by mid-June. Bundestag President Bärbel Bas aims to table the bill before the end of June.
A mandatory digital time-recording system is meant to curb unpaid overtime. On June 14, CDU/CSU parliamentary leader Jens Spahn demanded from the SPD a binding “upturn pledge” to fast-track implementation.
The German Trade Union Confederation (DGB) warns that protections are being hollowed out. Calculations by the Hans-Böckler Foundation suggest the new rules could, in extreme cases, permit workweeks exceeding 70 hours. Polling shows 72% of employees reject the abolition of the eight-hour day.
Pension battles and a tighter safety net
Alongside the hours debate, the government’s pension commission is stirring controversy. After its final session on June 15, Left Party representatives warned of an impending benefit-cutting programme. Proposals under discussion include raising the retirement age, increasing deductions for early retirement, and scrapping the penalty-free pension for long-term contributors. The commission’s official recommendations are due next week.
Already in force since June 1 is a reform of Bürgergeld (citizen’s benefit), repackaged as “basic income support for jobseekers.” It introduces stricter asset allowances, faster sanctions, and eliminates arbitration proceedings for disputes with job centres. Social welfare groups have condemned the move as a blow to social security.
Nationwide protests take shape
DGB chairwoman Yasmin Fahimi lashed out at the reform drive on June 15, calling it a “fairground of reform proposals” where social security is pitted against growth targets. Debates over scrapping public holidays or curbing strike rights have added fuel to the fire.
The resistance is organising across the country:
- On June 17, student representatives will coordinate protests in more than 18 cities against cuts to education and science funding.
- Leipzig already saw demonstrations on June 15 against social and health-care savings.
- The DGB has called for a major rally in Berlin on June 27 to oppose the planned flexibilisation of working-time law.
Despite the mounting opposition, the federal government intends to push through key decisions before the parliamentary summer break. A critical date is the coalition committee meeting on July 1.
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