The chairman of power tool maker Stihl has called for longer working hours without additional pay in Germany's metal and electrical engineering sector, arguing the country can no longer afford the 35-hour work week. Nikolas Stihl, who chairs the supervisory board of the family-owned company, described the current standard as a "luxus of bygone days" and pointed to roughly 500,000 industrial jobs lost as evidence of declining competitiveness.
The remarks echo a proposal made in June by Martin Brudermüller, chairman of Mercedes-Benz's supervisory board, who suggested a return to the 40-hour week at the same salary in an opinion piece.
The pushback from organised labour has been swift. IG Metall, Germany's largest trade union, called for nationwide protests in response to the Mercedes proposal, setting the stage for a broader confrontation over working conditions in Europe's largest industrial economy.