The country’s largest trade union, IG Metall, has proposed a four-day week to limit job losses in the automotive industry. Coronavirus woes are compounding economic pressure from existing structural shifts in the sector.
Union head Jörg Hofmann told the Süddeutsche Zeitung newspaper he would push for firms to adopt a four-day working week, arguing it is possible to keep jobs in industry.
Much of Germany’s blue collar workforce is employed in the car industry, which is struggling with the transition to electric. Cutting hours could be a way of retaining the skilled workers and expertise needed for the transition, IG Metall argues, as well as saving on redundancy costs.
Labour minister Hubertus Heil isn’t opposed to the idea. If businesses were on board, and hourly wages could be increased so employees weren’t left short, he would be open to the policy, he said.
Germany is expected to extend its furlough scheme, which millions of people are still benefiting from, to 24 months. The scheme has proved particularly popular in the manufacturing and retail sectors.
Others are less sold on the idea of shrinking the working week. The director of the Confederation of German Employers’ Associations, which represents companies that together employ about 70% of the workforce, told The Times: “A four-day week with salary adjustments would only make this shock worse”.
Growing calls for shrinking hours
The concept of a shorter working week has been kicked around for some years – and has some high-profile advocates.
Others argue that reduced working would benefit the planet, improve productivity and help mental health – alongside the obvious potential uplift to work-life balance.