[Germany] European court mandates employer-ordered group travel as paid hours

In Germany, SMEs are under pressure to recalculate payrolls following a European Court of Justice decision which classified employer-ordered group travel as paid working hours, Ad Hoc News reports.

The ruling, combined with a rising minimum wage and a pending mandate for digital time-keeping, could potentially trigger significant retroactive wage claims.

In addition, a new draft law from the labour ministry, due in the autumn, might reportedly loosen the nation’s strict weekly hour caps but solely for unionised firms, according to a mid-July announcement from Chancellor Merz. 

Earlier in the summer, a draft from Labour Minister Bas raised similar flexibility - primarily for tariff-bound companies - a political push aimed at aligning regulations with modern, mobile work patterns.

Source: Ad Hoc News

In Germany, SMEs are under pressure to recalculate payrolls following a European Court of Justice decision which classified employer-ordered group travel as paid working hours, Ad Hoc News reports.

The ruling, combined with a rising minimum wage and a pending mandate for digital time-keeping, could potentially trigger significant retroactive wage claims.

In addition, a new draft law from the labour ministry, due in the autumn, might reportedly loosen the nation’s strict weekly hour caps but solely for unionised firms, according to a mid-July announcement from Chancellor Merz. 

Earlier in the summer, a draft from Labour Minister Bas raised similar flexibility - primarily for tariff-bound companies - a political push aimed at aligning regulations with modern, mobile work patterns.

Source: Ad Hoc News