Hours of work

In Germany, the number of hours you are permitted to work is specified by law. You may work a maximum of 8 hours per day and 48 hours per week. Your daily hours may be extended to 10 as long as you do not exceed the daily average of 8 hours within a given 24-week or six-month period.

Collective bargaining agreements may provide for shorter working hours. A mandatory collective bargaining agreement for the construction industry specifies different working hours in summer and winter: 41 hours per week from April to November; 38 hours per week from December to March.

Overtime hours must be ordered and paid for by the employer. Collective bargaining agreements for certain sectors provide for overtime allowances.

Every hour during which you are available to perform duties for your employer is considered work time. That includes, for example, time spent moving material at a construction site, waiting for hotel guests to check out, taking a mandatory break at a rest stop or serving on stand-by.

You are entitled to 30 minutes of break time on days on which you work between 6 and 9 hours, and 45 minutes on days on which you work more than 9 hours. Your total break time can be divided into increments of at least 15 minutes each. Breaks do not count as work time. Employees are not permitted to work for more than 6 hours at a time without a break.

Further information is provided at:

DGB Sachsen