Germany’s powerful IG Metall union has proposed a four-day work week as the country prepares for collective bargaining due to begin in early 2021. The union’s boss Jorg Hoffman told Suddeutsche Zeitung that shortening the number of work days would be “the answer to structural changes in sectors such as the automotive industry.” He fears that jobs and expertise in the automotive industry will be lost if drastic action isn’t taken. While the industry was already undergoing major structural change as it adapts to automation and the rise of e-mobility. Daimler, ZF and Bosch have already agreed in deals made over the summer to reduce working hours. The German car industry employs around 830,000 and produces roughly 5 percent of the nations’ GDP. Deutsche Welle notes that a study from earlier in the year warned that changes underway globally could cause up to 400,000 job losses in Germany’s automobile sector.
