The right to bridge part-time work is governed by Section 9a of the Part-Time and Fixed-Term Employment Act. Under this provision, employees may reduce their contractually agreed working hours for a specific period and then return to the originally agreed hours.
In the metal and electrical industries, “reduced full-time work” also applies. This collective bargaining provision allows all employees in the sector to reduce their collectively agreed working hours for two years and then return to a full-time position. If you’re unsure which model is better for you, you can contact the works council or seek advice from your local IG Metall office. You can find detailed information on how to apply for the collective bargaining-based reduction in working hours here.
Requirements for transitional part-time work
Anyone who has been employed by a company for more than six months can now reduce their working hours for a period of at least one year, but no more than five years. This entitlement is independent of reasons such as raising children or continuing education. However, only employees at companies with more than 45 employees can claim this temporary part-time phase. Individuals in vocational training are not counted toward this total.
Application and Deadlines
The application for a temporary reduction in working hours, including the desired time period, must be submitted at least three months before the desired start date, for example via email. In the application, employees should also specify how they wish to distribute their daily working hours.
As a general rule, the employer must discuss an employee’s request to change the duration or schedule of their existing contractual working hours. This obligation applies regardless of the number of working hours or the number of employees at the employer’s company. In addition, the employer must inform the works council of any requests regarding working hours that have been submitted. Before meeting with the employer, employees should seek advice from the works council and have a representative accompany them to the meeting.
Grounds for Rejection
As was the case with the previously regulated entitlement to permanent part-time work, the employer may now also reject a request for bridge part-time work if operational reasons preclude the requested reduction, which the employer must demonstrate and prove. An operational reason exists if the reduction in working hours significantly impairs the organization, workflow, or safety of the business or causes disproportionate costs.
In addition, there is a reasonableness threshold for companies with 46 to 200 employees. According to this provision, the employer may reject a request for temporary part-time work if, at the time the requested reduction is to begin, at least one employee per 15 employees (or fraction thereof) is already working under a bridging part-time arrangement. Part-time employees who have reduced their working hours indefinitely—whether due to collective bargaining agreements or a mutually agreed-upon contract amendment—are not counted toward this threshold.
The employer must notify the employee of its decision in writing no later than one month before the requested start date. If the employer does not reject a request by no later than one month before the planned start date, the bridge part-time arrangement is deemed to have been agreed upon as requested by the employee.
Changes to Working Hours
During the bridge part-time period, part-time employees are bound by the agreed-upon working hours. They have no legal right to further reduce or extend their working hours within the predetermined period. Nor is there a right to return early to their previous working hours during the bridge part-time period. However, voluntary agreements with the employer are possible at any time.
New Application
If the employer rejects the application for temporary part-time work or if the agreed-upon bridge part-time period has expired, the law specifies the timeframes after which a new application may be submitted. According to these provisions, employees may apply again for bridge part-time work or an indefinite reduction in working hours no sooner than one year after returning to the originally contractually agreed-upon working hours.
If the request was denied for operational reasons, the employee may apply for a reduction in working hours again no sooner than two years after the denial. If the employer did not grant the request for transitional part-time work because the limit of what is reasonably required had already been reached, a reduction in working hours may be requested again no sooner than one year after the denial.
Increasing Working Hours
Previously, the law provided only for the right to indefinite part-time work—which carried the risk of being forced to work part-time permanently. Women, in particular, often find themselves trapped in part-time work.
The new provisions in part-time work law explicitly apply to employees who have been working part-time under permanent contracts and wish to increase their working hours. Under these provisions, the employee must notify the employer of this request in writing. It is not necessary to specify a particular position within the company to which the request for an increase in hours relates.
Previously, the employer had to demonstrate and prove that the working hour requests of other part-time employees or urgent operational reasons precluded giving priority to the part-time employee’s request. Under the new regulation, the employer must now also demonstrate and prove that the position does not correspond to the part-time employee’s previous role, is not available, or that the part-time employee is not equally qualified as other applicants.
IG Metall Provides Advice
Members can seek legal advice from their local IG Metall office if their employer rejects a request for temporary part-time work or an increase in working hours. You can find the address and contact information for the relevant IG Metall office here.
Flyer “Bridges to and from Part-Time Work” (PDF)
