SPD in Germany demands joint agreement on working hours — Deutsche Welle

The Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) insists that future changes to working hours must be adopted jointly by employers and employees and by mutual agreement. This has become a new point of confrontation with the conservative CDU/CSU bloc over reforming the Working Hours Act, Deutsche Welle reports.

Debate over the eight-hour day

Germany’s current legislation sets the standard working time at eight hours per day. It may be extended to ten hours if the employee receives compensatory time off for overtime. There must also be at least 11 hours of rest between two shifts.

Exceptions apply to certain sectors. In particular, employees of emergency services, the healthcare system, security services, power plants, oil refineries and the chemical industry may work up to 12 consecutive hours.

In their 2025 coalition agreement, the CDU/CSU and the SPD agreed to reform the law by allowing the maximum working time to be determined per week rather than per day, in accordance with the European Working Time Directive. Business representatives support this approach, citing the needs of industries with seasonal fluctuations, project-based work or uneven workloads.

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Social Democrats’ conditions

A reform draft prepared by the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs in June 2026 stipulated that changes to schedules would require a collective agreement between employers and trade unions. The document also included requirements concerning occupational safety and electronic recording of working time.

The CDU/CSU and business associations criticized the draft, after which the reform stalled. In early October, the SPD published a seven-page document titled “Self-determination, not deregulation,” in which it reiterated its demands for worker protection. The party stated that flexibility should not mean that an employer can unilaterally determine when a shift ends.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, for his part, advocates faster easing of the rules. After visiting the UPM biorefinery in Leuna, he cited the example of a continuous schedule with 12-hour shifts which, according to him, allows employees to work three days a week.