The National Council’s Committee for Economic Affairs and Taxation, or WAK-N for short, shares the opinion that the current labour law regulations no longer correspond to the realities of the modern working world. Taking into account the developments of recent years, which have seen an increase in working from home, it considers the possibility of more flexible labour law to be essential. Accordingly, the WAK-N has drawn up a preliminary draft amendment to the Labour Act.
The preliminary draft provides for an increase in the maximum working time from 14 to 17 hours per day and a reduction in the rest period from eleven to nine hours. Occasional work on Sundays is also to be permitted, provided it is of the employee’s own volition.
This should enable employees to choose their working hours more flexibly, which should offer many advantages in terms of balancing family and career as well as caring work.
The WAK-N has also integrated the right to non-accessibility into the preliminary draft so that concerns regarding health protection can be countered.
Nevertheless, the preliminary draft remains controversial, because although more flexibility may sound tempting at first, the current (mandatory) provisions are intended to protect employees from everything – including themselves.
Comments can be submitted until 10 December 2024, when the consultation period ends.
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