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Alarming flood of overtime in northwest Mecklenburg: health in danger!
In Gadebusch, attention is drawn to the immense workload of 190,000 hours a day, while unions warn of health risks.
Alarming flood of overtime in northwest Mecklenburg: health in danger!
In the northwest of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, things get down to business: employees do proud work every day190,000 working hours. However, these high numbers raise some serious questions, particularly regarding working conditions and the health of employees. The Food, Pleasure and Restaurants union (NGG) warns urgently about the consequences of the high workload.
A look at overtime shows that in 2022 approximately1.5 million overtime hourswere made unpaid, of which around781,000 for free. These numbers should ring alarm bells! Jörg Dahms, managing director of the NGG Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, criticizes the federal government's plans Abolish the 8-hour day and instead longer ones12 hour shiftsto enable. This makes the already tense situation even worse.
The health risks of overwork
The numerous overtime hours not only have an impact on productivity, but also on the health of employees. According to the NGG, excessive working hours can lead to serious health problems.Headaches, dizziness and sleep disordersare just some of the symptoms commonly seen in overworked workers. In the long term, serious illnesses such asBurnout, depression and diabetes-related complicationsadded.
In addition, shift work proves to be a particularly stressful test. Employees who work shifts are not only under greater pressure; unfavorable working conditions exposed. Irregular working hours and rotating shifts take a toll on physical and mental health, leading to poorer health, according to a study.
The dangers of working long hours
This increases, especially for employees who regularly work more than 8 hours a dayRisk of accidentsconsiderably. According to statistics, the accident rate doubles from the twelfth hour of work onwards. This is another reason why the NGG is maintaining the existing one Working Hours Act demands to protect the maximum working hours per day.
There is also a fear that the long working hours will...Compatibility of family and workjust as difficult. A sudden increase in working hours could particularly put women, who often work part-time, in trouble, as many already have a certain amount of workGender care gapare affected. Two thirds of mothers with children under 18 have to split between work and family, which further complicates the situation.
In view of this critical situation, the unions plan to represent the interests of employees more strongly. Collective bargaining agreements could provide important flexibility and help improve working conditions. According to current surveys, over72% of employees work a maximum of 8 hours, where98%Aim for less than 10 hours per day. This is a clear signal that the quality of life of employees should be given priority again.