Unions Warn of Rising Accident Risk as Germany Moves to Allow 13-Hour Workdays
12.06.2026 - 04:04:51 | boerse-global.de
Germany's coalition government is pushing ahead with the most significant revision to working-time law in decades, despite stark warnings from labour experts that longer shifts will boost workplace injuries and erode work-life balance. A planned switch from daily to weekly maximum hours, permitted under an EU directive, would allow individual workdays of up to 13 hours — provided the average over the week stays within the legal limit. Currently, German law caps daily work at eight hours, with rare exceptions up to ten.
The Hans-Böckler-Stiftung, a union-affiliated research institute, points to a sharp increase in accident risk after the eighth hour of work. A separate survey by the institute's WSI unit found that 75 percent of employees fear negative effects on their work-life balance. Labour lawyer Pascal Croset adds a caveat: employers cannot unilaterally impose extended days if a contract fixes specific working times. The DGB union federation head, Yasmin Fahimi, criticised the coalition's emphasis on cost-cutting rather than worker protection.
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The reform emerged from a June 10 summit in the chancellery, where Chancellor Merz and Labour Minister Bas met business associations and unions for over three hours. BDI President Leibinger and employer association president Dulger urged a legislative package before the summer break. A coalition committee is set to finalise key points on income tax, social insurance and labour market changes on July 1. Minister Bas plans to present a draft bill to amend the Working Time Act in June.
Alongside the hour extension, the government is overhauling regulations for mini-jobs — low-paid, tax-privileged positions. From July 1, mini-jobbers who previously opted out of compulsory pension insurance can revoke that decision. The request must be submitted in writing to the employer and is irreversible. The earnings threshold currently stands at €603 per month (€7,236 annually), tied to the minimum wage of €13.90. Already in 2025, when the minimum wage rose to €12.82, the cap increased to €556. In the care sector, further hikes are scheduled: the care-sector minimum wage is set to climb to as high as €21.03 per hour depending on qualification.
Germany missed the June 7 deadline to transpose the EU Pay Transparency Directive into national law. A domestic regulation is now not expected before early 2027. Employment lawyer Nathalie Oberthür warns that certain requirements — such as the right to request pay information and transparency obligations during job applications — may already have direct legal effect. She advises companies to disclose salary ranges before interviews.
On collective bargaining, pressure is also mounting. Only 49 percent of German employees work in firms covered by a collective agreement, according to the WSI. Germany is among a group of EU states that have not yet submitted the required national action plan to promote collective bargaining coverage; the deadline was the end of 2025.
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Digitalisation of employment contracts offers a rare bright spot for bureaucracy reduction. Under the Fourth Bureaucracy Relief Act, contracts can now be concluded legally via email. Electronic work certificates with qualified signatures are also accepted. Parental leave requests have been possible by email since May 2025.
Meanwhile, the government is preparing a reform of long-term care insurance. Plans include raising the contribution assessment ceiling to match that of statutory health insurance — which for 2027 would mean a monthly ceiling of over €7,000. An additional surcharge for childless contributors is also under consideration.
