German Workers Must Approve Any Move Away from Eight-Hour Day, Says Labour Minister Bas

Germany's Labour Minister Bas demands employee consent for flexible hours and electronic tracking; unions reject. Tax cuts and pension changes also debated.

Labour Minister Bärbel Bas has drawn a firm line on the government's push to loosen Germany's rigid eight-hour workday: no flexibility without a green light from employees. The SPD politician stated on the ARD talk show "Caren Miosga" in early June that company-level co-determination and collective bargaining agreements must remain the core protections in any reform. Only then, she argued, could greater flexibility be shaped in a socially acceptable way.

Bas' conditions come as union leaders prepare for a confrontation at a reform summit scheduled for today. The minister is pushing for mandatory electronic time tracking as a safeguard, arguing that software-based documentation would prevent worker protections from being hollowed out under more flexible models. She also called for special protective measures for women working flexible hours, though she did not provide specific details.

But labour representatives are in no mood to negotiate. DGB chairwoman Yasmin Fahimi dismissed the government's proposals as an "ideologically motivated wrong path," warning that a one-sided austerity course would hurt domestic demand. She ruled out further talks on a general loosening of working time rules. IG BCE chief Michael Vassiliadis echoed the rejection, noting that collective agreements already offer sufficient flexibility. Instead of adjusting work hours, he called for lower energy costs and a rejigging of CO? certificates to relieve industry.

The working-time debate is just one piece of a broader reform package. The government is also pushing ahead with an income tax overhaul. Bas aims for relief of at least €500 per year, with a planned start date of 1 January 2027. Vassiliadis suggested raising the top income tax rate's entry threshold to around €100,000, but proposed increasing the rate itself by two to three percentage points as compensation.

All these threads converge at the end of June. The pension reform commission is due to deliver its findings by 29 June, followed by a coalition committee meeting on 30 June to hammer out the full reform package. With decisions on taxes, working hours and pension security all bundling together, the coalition faces a tight squeeze to keep the pieces from falling apart.