Zeiss in Jena: 35-hour week sets new standards for the region!

Zeiss in Jena: 35-hour week sets new standards for the region!

In a remarkable turn, the optic group Carl Zeiss introduced the 35-hour week for its over 3,000 employees at the Jena location on Tuesday. This is a significant step, since IG Metall emphasizes that Zeiss is the first major company in East Thuringia to implement this shortened tariff working time. The union describes this as a historical success, which shows how important this change is for employees.

This progress comes after more than 30 years of intensive struggle for aligning working hours in the Zeiss companies in East and West Germany. Until the introduction of the new regulation, the weekly working time in the six Jena Zeiss companies was 38 hours. With the change of working hours now decided, Zeiss shows a strong sign of change and commitment for its employees.

Future -oriented measures

The switch to the 35-hour week, which has been in place since October 1, is emphasized by a union spokesman as a strategic advantage in the competition for highly qualified specialists. Zeiss positions itself as an attractive employer, especially in times when the shortage of skilled workers is a major problem in many industries. In contrast, other large companies such as VW, Porsche and BMW in Saxony are planning to introduce the shorter working week in the coming year.

The headquarters of Carl Zeiss is located in Oberkochen, Baden-Württemberg, and the company employs around 43,000 people worldwide. In the next few years, Zeiss will also be planning massive investments in its infrastructure, which should strengthen not only the working conditions but also the company's competitiveness.