[19. 1. 2017] The family organisations of AGF ask for a possibility for employees, that eases their way back to full time after they had reduced their working hours. On occasion of the current data of the German statistic agency on working hours and individual working hour preference, the organisations support the legislative initiative of ferderal minister Andrea Nahles to limit the duration of part-time work if the employee wishes to do so.
Particularly woman often reduce their working hours in favor of care in the family – either for caring for children or for elderly people. Very often this turns out to be an unwished one-way-road, because the way back to their original weekly working time is blocked.
Therefore the family organisations call for a possibilty to limit the duration of the part-time-work. When the period ends the original working hours comes back into effect. In case of conflicting interests employees with family responsibilities should get a priority treatment. It should be possibe to extend the duration, if the employee asks for it at least 6 months before the limitation ends. The same deadline accurs if the employee want to raise his working hours to a lower amount than the original. The then easier possibility to switch between full-time and part-time might also encourage men to reduce their working time in order to take care responsibilities within the family.
AGF also states that there are more changes needed in the law on part-time: The refusal of the employees wish to reduce the working hours should only be possible on “urgent adverse operational reasons”. In addition, the raise of working hours by employees should be eased, especially for people having family care responsibilities.