Minister of Economic Affairs Altmaier wants to have the ECJ ruling on the systematic recording of working hours checked and for the time being not implement. He is thus on a confrontational course to the SPD-led Labor Ministry.
Federal Minister of Economics Peter Altmaier does not simply accept the decision of the European Court of Justice on working time registration. It is not pointing in the right direction, said the CDU politician. „It’s the wrong way to introduce the time clock everywhere again.“
There is already a comprehensive one in Germany
Documentation system that measures daily working hours. „We want and need to protect the interests of workers, but we must not create excessive bureaucracy.“ Companies are already obliged to measure working hours, but could delegate the documentation to the employee.
Expert report should clarify legal position
The Ministry of Economic Affairs now wants to commission a legal opinion to clarify whether the verdict must be implemented at all. This should be available until the summer break. Altmaier warned against „quick shots“ in the affair: „The ECJ ruling leaves room for interpretation and does not specify a specific deadline for Member States to act.“
Opposition from the Ministry of Labor
Thus, Altmaier is on a confrontational course to Federal Labor Minister Hubertus Heil who wants to implement the verdict quickly. „The recording of working time is necessary to secure the rights of the employees,“ the SPD politician had said. „After all, it’s about wages and workers‘ rights, so that’s no unnecessary bureaucracy.“
According to the ECJ, companies are required to set up reliable systems that allow employees and workers to prove their working time. This is the only way to obtain binding proof of actual hours worked in future disputes before courts or authorities. A list alone of the overtime is not sufficient. Judgments of the highest European court are actually valid throughout the EU.
