Berlin Shifts Gears on Work-Hour Rules as June 2026 Deadline Looms for Comprehensive Reform

German coalition leaders meet June 10 to reform working time laws, proposing a flexible weekly limit instead of the daily eight-hour max. Polls show 57% public support, but unions warn of 13-hour days.

On June 10, 2026, Germany's coalition leadership will gather employer and union representatives for a high-stakes meeting intended to shape a broader reform package that includes far-reaching changes to working time regulations. The closed-door session, known as a concertierte Aktion, is the opening move in a sprint to finalize decisions by June 30, with follow-up rulings on tax policy expected by mid-July.

At the heart of the overhaul is a proposal to scrap the long-standing daily maximum of eight hours in the Arbeitszeitgesetz (Working Hours Act) in favor of a flexible weekly limit. The overall weekly hour cap would remain unchanged—what shifts is the distribution. The plan appears in both the coalition agreement and the National Tourism Strategy, and aims to give employers and staff more latitude in scheduling work.

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Tourism coordinator Christoph Ploß (CDU) signaled his backing for the reform in early June, pressing for rapid implementation. Ploß made clear that the new rules must not be tied to collective bargaining agreements: companies without tariff binding should benefit equally. Labor Minister Bärbel Bas (SPD) has indicated a draft law could arrive by June 2026, though she has publicly distanced herself from some elements of the proposal, prompting the Union to warn against delays.

Opposition has been sharp from organized labor. The German Trade Union Federation (DGB) issued a statement on June 4 pointing out that the current law already allows exceptions of up to ten hours per day. A further relaxation, they argued, could let employers mandate workdays as long as 13 hours. The DGB's "Gute Arbeit" index has previously shown widespread dissatisfaction: only 40 percent of surveyed workers were happy with their hours, while more than half wanted a reduction.

A 2025 study by the Institute for Employment Research (IAB) underscored those concerns: 84 percent of respondents viewed the legal limit as a crucial safeguard against overwork.

Yet public opinion appears split. A Forsa poll conducted in May 2026 of 1,004 people found that 57 percent supported abolishing the eight-hour day. Among CDU/CSU voters, approval climbed to 74 percent, while 61 percent of Left Party supporters rejected the move. Policy experts have floated a compromise: limiting the flexibility to office-based employees only. Alongside the working-time reform, the government plans to make overtime supplements tax-free and grant a one-time bonus to part-time workers.

Germany’s broader push to modernize labor law collides with a separate European requirement. The country missed the June 7 deadline to transpose the EU Pay Transparency Directive, which aims to close the gender pay gap—currently at 16 percent in Germany. Union politicians have called for the directive to be scrapped due to bureaucratic burdens, while experts warn that the delay could trigger infringement proceedings.