A clear majority of employees in Germany want to work shorter hours without sacrificing salary. This desire is likely to have consequences: will 32 instead of 40 hours a week become the norm?
From
Benedict Peters
Work four days, have three days off – and earn the same amount as before. It’s an idea that fascinates many people, but it also divides them. Employers’ associations and the Union condemn the four-day week as a “milkmaid’s bill” and a “disservice” to the economy, and the FDP warns of “loss of prosperity”. That’s what was heard again a few days ago, after IG Metall boss Jörg Hofmann suggested that employees should work 32 instead of the usual 40 hours a week, and with full wage compensation.