IG Metall is giving up the four-day week: employers are skeptical!

IG Metall is giving up the four-day week: employers are skeptical!

IG Metall has decided to put aside its demand for the introduction of a four-day week with full wage compensation for the time being. This was announced by union leader Christiane Benner and emphasized that a four-day week is still considered sensible. The reason for the decision is the current economic conditions, which are causing employers to reduce working hours, which worsens the situation for employees.

Benner criticized employers for their reluctance to introduce the four-day week across the board. 94 percent of the 823 companies surveyed fear that their added value will suffer if they reduce working hours. In addition, almost 70 percent of companies said that they feared that Germany's international competitiveness would be jeopardized.

demands on companies

IG Metall demands that companies take responsibility for future-proof business models and make the necessary investments to ensure secure jobs. Benner criticizes the lack of future strategies in many companies and calls for active engagement with the challenges of the changing world of work.

Historically, working time policy in Germany has changed significantly. In the 1980s, reducing working hours was seen as an effective way to combat unemployment. Today, the focus is on more flexible working hours and the debate about longer working lives. Individual companies, such as Volkswagen, have already tested models such as the four-day week in order to secure jobs in times of crisis.

Impact and social changes

Analyzes show that the issue of working hours is also discussed with regard to social changes. The change towards more flexible working time models brings with it both opportunities and risks. Innovative approaches such as flexitime, part-time and teleworking enable individual organization of working hours, while at the same time the boundaries between professional and private life are increasingly blurring.

Another aspect of the discussion is the Working Hours Act (ArbZG), which regulates daily working hours as well as breaks and rest periods. According to these regulations, daily working hours cannot exceed eight hours, but can be extended to up to ten hours under certain conditions.

Given the challenges of the current economic situation, it remains to be seen how the discussion about working hours will develop. IG Metall demands a proactive attitude from employers in order to find future-oriented solutions for employees with the aim of securing jobs and at the same time increasing the quality of life.

For more information about IG Metall's positions and the impact on the economy, you can read the article on ZVW and Mirror read. For deeper insights into the development of working time policy in Germany, visit the website Federal Agency for Civic Education.