The Ver.di union sees a need for action on the issue of working hours. In times of a shortage of skilled workers, jobs in the public sector could become more attractive through shorter working hours. Others warn: This is exactly what exacerbates the problem.
After the train drivers’ union GDL and IG Metall demanded shorter working hours with full wage compensation in the ongoing collective bargaining, the service union Ver.di also wants to tackle the issue soon. “In the public sector we have longer working hours compared to the private sector, so there is definitely a need for action, also with a view to making the jobs more attractive,” said Ver.di CEO Frank Werneke to the “Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung”.
There are already around 300,000 unfilled positions and in some areas of the public service there are hardly any applicants left. In the coming year, “an extensive survey will be launched among members to find out their working time needs,” Werneke announced and reiterated: “I am sure that we will address the issue of working time in the next collective bargaining rounds, both for private service sectors and for the Employees in the municipalities and at the federal government will be taken up in the collective bargaining round that is due at the beginning of 2025.”
A reduction in working hours is currently one of the main points of contention between Deutsche Bahn and GDL. The train drivers’ union is calling for a reduction in working hours for shift workers from 38 to 35 hours with full wage compensation. The railway rejects this and points out, among other things, the shortage of workers. If the GDL requirement were met, 10,000 new employees would have to be hired, which is impossible in the current labor market. The GDL declared the rail collective bargaining negotiations to have failed.
DIHK: Shortages become worse when we all work less
The President of the German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DIHK), Peter Adrian, does not fundamentally reject reductions in working hours, but is critical of them. “Basically, we will exacerbate the shortage of skilled workers and the associated gaps in our economy if we all work less,” Adrian told the newspapers of the Funke media group.
He doesn’t fundamentally reject a four-day week with full wage compensation when recruiting staff, but this working time model won’t fit in every company. Consumers wanted services five or, better yet, six days a week. That wouldn’t be possible with this working time model, says Adrian.