Portuguese 
English 
Spanish 
6 min of reading 
0 comments 
The German reform does not increase the total weekly hours, which remains limited to 48, but replaces the daily cap with a weekly cap. In practice, it opens up space to concentrate many hours in a few days. Unions calculate that, in the worst-case scenario, someone could work daily shifts of up to 12 hours.
While Brazil discusses reducing working hours and ending the 6×1 schedule, Germany is moving in exactly the opposite direction. The German government is preparing a labor reform that aims to end the historic 8-hour workday limit, in place since 1918, replacing it with a weekly cap, in a proposal that unions warn could lead to exhausting daily shifts in some cases.
The measure was announced in May 2026 by Labor Minister Bärbel Bas, from the Social Democratic Party, the SPD, which is part of the coalition government led by Chancellor Friedrich Merz, from the conservative Christian Democratic Union, the CDU. The formal presentation of the bill to the German Parliament is scheduled for June 2026. The contrast with the Brazilian debate on the 6×1 schedule and the reduction of working hours could not be more evident.
What the German reform actually changes
Currently, the German working time law, known as Arbeitszeitgesetz, limits the workday to 8 hours, with the possibility of extension to 10 hours, provided that the average over a six-month period does not exceed 8 hours per day. There is also a mandatory minimum break of 11 hours between the end of one shift and the start of the next. The reform would eliminate this daily limit and only a weekly cap would apply, aligned with the 48 hours provided in the European Working Time Directive.
-
SP government enacts new São Paulo minimum wage of R$ 1,874.36, with a 46% increase since 2022 and 15.6% higher than the national minimum wage.
-
Conflict in Iran disrupts the global exchange, affects the real, and shows why the rise in oil prices can become an advantage for some and a headache for others.
-
Santa Catarina leads the largest Tax-Free Day in Brazil’s history with more than 1,350 companies, and the scene of cars lined up for gasoline at R$ 4.50 highlighted the real burden of taxes that amount to more than R$ 1.68 trillion collected just this year.
-
Gasoline price drops to R$ 3.99 per liter in special promotion and drivers line up to take advantage of rare discount
The government argues that the change would give more flexibility to companies and workers to distribute hours throughout the week, according to the demand of each sector. The idea, according to Minister Bärbel Bas, is to make working hours more adaptable, especially for families. She also stated that women, in particular, should be protected from being pushed out of the market due to difficulty reconciling long hours with domestic responsibilities.
The point that avoids sensationalism: the 48-hour cap remains
Here is the most important clarification in all of history, to avoid exaggerations. The reform does not increase the total number of weekly hours allowed. The cap of 48 hours per week already exists in European legislation and, in practice, is already the current German limit, equivalent to 8 hours over 6 working days. What changes is only the way these hours are distributed throughout the week, not the total.
A concerning number of about 73.5 weekly hours circulated in part of the press, but it is crucial to understand what it means. It is a theoretical worst-case scenario, calculated by critics and unions, such as the Hugo Sinzheimer Institute, assuming a worker would work the maximum possible per day, about 12 hours, respecting only the minimum rest of 11 hours, for six consecutive days. It is not the aim of the reform nor the rule that would come into effect, and the weekly cap of 48 hours would remain in force.
Why the unions are concerned
Even with the weekly cap maintained, opposition to the reform is intense. The German Confederation of Trade Unions, the DGB, categorically rejects the proposal and launched a campaign under the slogan “With strength for 8 hours,” mobilizing protests across the country. The president of the entity, Yasmin Fahimi, stated that she can only advise against the change.
The central concern of the unions is the following: if the daily limit of 8 hours ceases to exist as a safeguard, nothing would theoretically prevent employers from concentrating the workload into a few days with exhausting shifts. Studies cited in the German debate indicate that after 12 hours of work, the risk of accidents nearly doubles, in addition to the association between long shifts and sleep, cardiovascular, and mental health problems. Research shows that about 72% of German workers want to maintain the 8-hour daily limit.
The safeguards promised by the government
In response to the reaction, Minister Bärbel Bas made a point of presenting countermeasures. She assured that the reform will not allow employers to force workers to take on larger workloads and that health and safety standards will continue to be protected by law, promising to consult the so-called social partners, that is, companies and unions, before any approval.
A second pillar of the proposal, which faces less resistance, is the creation of a mandatory electronic time tracking system. The measure aims precisely to protect workers in sectors with less bargaining power, such as delivery, logistics, and courier services, where informal time tracking often results in unpaid overtime. The idea is that digital recording will prevent abuses and ensure effective compliance with the limits.
The paradox: Germans work less than the cap
A piece of data helps put the entire debate into perspective. The actual average hours worked by Germans is around 33.9 hours per week, according to Eurostat, well below what the new law could allow in extreme cases. In practice, most German workers already work much less than the current ceiling.
Furthermore, Germany itself conducted a four-day workweek pilot program in 2024, which reportedly was maintained by about 70% of participating companies even after the test ended. This context shows that the country is experiencing tension between two opposing paths: on one side, the pursuit of flexibility advocated by the government in the name of competitiveness; on the other, a social trend to value more free time and quality of life.
The inverted mirror with Brazil
It is precisely this contrast that makes the topic so interesting for the Brazilian reader. While Germany discusses making the daily work schedule more flexible, Brazil is moving in the opposite direction, debating the reduction of the workload and the end of the 6×1 schedule, where the worker works six consecutive days and rests only one, common in commerce and services.
The 6×1 schedule is the target of a proposed constitutional amendment under discussion in Congress, with strong popular support and heated debate between those who advocate for more quality of life and those who fear impacts on sectors that depend on continuous operation. Comparing the two countries helps to understand that there is no single model of work organization, and that each economy seeks its balance between productivity, competitiveness, and workers’ well-being.
The German debate about ending the 8-hour daily limit and the Brazilian debate about the 6×1 schedule are two sides of the same global discussion: what should work look like in the 21st century. Germany bets on flexibility within a ceiling that does not change, while facing resistance from unions concerned about exhausting work hours. Brazil discusses reducing the workload and providing more rest. In both cases, what is at stake is the delicate balance between the needs of the economy and the health of those who work, a topic that remains more relevant than ever.
And you, which model do you think is fairer: the flexibility that Germany proposes or the reduction of work hours that Brazil debates with the end of the 6×1 schedule? Do you believe that distributing the hours throughout the week helps or harms the worker? Leave your comment, tell us about your work schedule, and share the article with those who live this reality every day.
Be the first to react!