German Business Lobby Pushes for Weekly Working-Time Model as Digital Time-Tracking Law Nears
04.06.2026 - 08:05:23 | boerse-global.de
A coalition of 14 major German industry associations, including the hotel and restaurant federation DEHOGA, the German Travel Association (DRV), and the trade-fair organizer association AUMA, has launched a campaign called “Weekly Working Hours Now!”. Their goal: to replace the current daily cap on working hours with a weekly limit, giving employers in sectors like hospitality and services more flexibility to handle fluctuating workloads without raising total labor time.
The initiative comes as the federal labor ministry finalizes a draft law that would make electronic time recording mandatory across most businesses. Labor Minister Bärbel Bas announced the reform of the Working Hours Act for June 2026, with the draft expected before the summer parliamentary break. Experts predict the law will take effect no earlier than January 1, 2027.
The push for digital timekeeping follows a landmark ruling by the Federal Labor Court on September 13, 2022. The court’s president, Inken Gallner, made clear that employers are already obliged to record start, end, and duration of daily work systematically. The new legislation will codify that obligation explicitly.
Under the proposed rules, companies must document working hours on the same day using electronic means. Businesses with fewer than ten employees are exempt and may continue using non-digital records. Violations can result in fines of up to €30,000, imposed by workplace safety authorities. The well-established protections remain in place: an 11-hour uninterrupted rest period between shifts and an average maximum of 48 hours per week.
The shift to stricter time recording rules mirrors a broader push for workplace compliance that many UK employers are already navigating. Ensuring your safety documentation meets legal standards can be just as demanding as tracking hours. A free Health & Safety Toolkit provides ready-to-use risk assessments and checklists aligned with UK regulations to help you stay compliant. Download the free Health & Safety Toolkit
The shift to a weekly rather than daily calculation model, demanded by the business alliance, was originally agreed in the coalition pact between the governing parties. Trade unions strongly oppose the change.
The debate unfolds against a shifting labor market. The Institute for Employment Research (IAB) reported that employment fell by 160,000 to 45.64 million in the first quarter of 2026. Hourly productivity rose by 0.5 percent, while average individual working time increased by 0.3 percent to 344.2 hours.
The mandatory recording requirement has raised questions about the future of trust-based working time (Vertrauensarbeitszeit), where employees manage their own schedules. Labor lawyers and the Federal Labor Court have confirmed that such models remain compatible with the new rules, for example through self-recording by staff. The government also intends to preserve flexible arrangements such as home office and mobile work, linking them with precise documentation duties.
As regulatory attention on workplace compliance grows, many UK businesses are reviewing their obligations under the Health & Safety at Work Act 1974. A free toolkit offers nine practical tools, including risk assessments and director liability guides, to help you meet your legal duties and protect your workforce. Get the free Health & Safety at Work Act 1974 Toolkit
On the political front, opposition CDU/CSU parliamentary group leader Friedrich Merz recently stated that no fixed date has been set for a broader reform package covering taxes, pensions, and bureaucracy, despite earlier demands from his colleagues Jens Spahn and a deputy for such a package before summer 2026. The working?time law reform, however, stays on the labor ministry’s agenda.
