The FDP is pushing for the elimination of the 8-hour work day.
The SPD is advocating for a four-day workweek, while the FDP pushes for the elimination of the eight-hour workday. Köhler, the deputy leader of the FDP parliamentary group, strives for employees to have the freedom to negotiate with their employers over breaks and working hours. The FDP hopes to include this proposal in the coalition government's economic turnaround plan.
Lukas Köhler, FDP deputy parliamentary group leader, expressed his opinion to Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland (RND), suggesting that the coalition government should do away with the eight-hour workday and set maximum weekly working hours instead. This would require updating the Working Hours Act.
Köhler believes that the eight-hour workday is outdated, as it originated from an era when there were concerns about workplace exploitation. "The Working Hours Act is from a world where there was no home office. Hardly anyone can keep up with the eight-hour rule anymore." Sectors with strong collective agreements, such as the chemical industry, the postal and parcel market, and logistics, could potentially implement these changes. The IT sector and other professions with remote work options are also possibilities. These changes would contribute to the economic recovery. The coalition agreement includes provisions for experimental areas for new work hour regulations, but they have not been implemented yet.
Loosen break and rest regulations
Köhler also supports more flexibility in break and rest regulations. "[We] should no longer have rigid regulations," he said. Many people already work through their lunch breaks to leave work earlier. Others use their home office to continue working in the evening to balance family life. "They no longer have eleven hours until they come back to the office the next day. So many people are essentially already breaking the law on working hours. This flexibility should no longer be illegal."
He also discusses the possibility of relaxing the legal limit for maximum weekly working hours, currently set at 48 hours, and potentially offering a tax break for overtime. Köhler notes that it's not the government's responsibility to dictate specific guidelines but rather for social partners to decide.
In response to the SPD's call for a four-day workweek, Köhler stated, "A four-day workweek would certainly be possible in many companies if the daily eight-hour limit were dropped." However, reducing weekly working hours to achieve this would not be suitable given the current labor shortage.
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The FDP's proposal to eliminate the eight-hour workday and set maximum weekly working hours would require an update to the Labor Law. Sterling from the IT sector welcomes the FDP's plan, expressing that thefour-day week could be feasible with the elimination of the daily eight-hour limit, but reducing weekly hours might not be suitable given the current labor market shortage. Employees and employers could negotiate flexible break and working hours under the FDP's proposal, allowing for more freedom and potential tax breaks in certain scenarios.
Source: www.ntv.de
