Mr. Hartwig,the Senate was steadfast to increase the working hours for civil servants to 41 hours per week on January 1,2026. The decision has been postponed. How do you interpret that?

Lars Hartwig: We are strictly against the 41-hour week and are thus glad that the decision has not yet been made. A red-green-red Senate should also think carefully about whether it really wants to question the eight-hour day. We’ll have to wait and see what the further discussions reveal.

Have you already been spoken to?

We were never heard or included beforehand. this only happened after the coalition committee and the Senate had decided on the 41-hour week.

Civil servants in the federal government and in Baden-Württemberg,Hesse,north Rhine-Westphalia and Schleswig-Holstein work 41 hours a week. Why shouldn’t that be justifiable in Bremen?

We also think this is wrong at the federal level and the states you listed.The eight-hour day was fought for and enforced by the unions in tough disputes.This achievement must not be questioned, not in Bremen or anywhere else. I don’t know all the details from the federal states, but federal civil servants earn significantly more than Bremen state civil servants.They also have a better aid scheme. The comparison is flawed.

The decision has a background: an acute lack of money. Isn’t it obvious that civil servants should not be left out of austerity rounds?

Bremen’s Bureaucracy: Staffing, Workload, and the Future of Public Service

There is nothing wrong with AI relieving employees of dull tasks so that they can use the time for their core tasks for the citizens. The extent to which AI will impact staffing levels cannot yet be estimated. It is clear that humans have to control and master the AI.

Cancel a holiday?

I doubt that Bremen can be saved by canceling a public holiday. Compared to other federal states, Bremen already has fewer public holidays. I also don’t believe that one more working day increases the efficiency of the private economy or public services, nonetheless of where.

23,700 people are employed in Bremen’s core management alone. Trend for several years: increasing. How can you justify this to taxpayers?

You have to look at the numbers more closely, also in comparison to other city states, and ask yourself, for example, what tasks have been added, for example because bremen has grown and, for example, more educators and teachers are needed. It is indeed not the administration that determines which tasks it has to carry out, but rather the legislature, the sovereign, whether at EU, federal, state or local level. The public service must be adequately equipped for these tasks.

despite this number,there are still complaints about long waiting and processing times,for example in the housing benefit office and in the citizens’ office. How is this explained?

It’s arduous to say that from the entire staff council. The fact is that personnel management has been declared a top priority. At the end of 2024, a Senate commission for personnel requirements planning was set up, which includes Mayor Andreas Bovenschulte, Finance Senator Björn Fecker and Economics Senator Kristina Vogt. This commission decides which area will receive personnel that had previously been cut proportionately in almost all areas.

Which area do you get the most complaints from when it comes to workload?

We are receiving facts from many areas that the personnel situation is difficult. The police is certainly an area where there are difficulties and where there is a lot of overtime. Schools and daycare centers are also highly polluted areas.

Are there signs that Bremen can no longer fulfill its control function – whether traffic controls, tax audits at companies, food inspections in restaurants or even in cases of suspected child endangerment?

I am not aware of any explicit emergency.It is known to the auditors that there has been a shortage of staff for many years. This is annoying because it could also improve Bremen’s income situation. There is also a certain background noise from all areas that means that many colleagues are at their limits.

What do you think of the current debate about including civil servants in statutory pension insurance?

There is a huge spread in income among civil servants – from colleagues who work part-time in low pay grades to state councilors. In the mostly populist debate, it is often forgotten that gross pay is significantly lower because amounts for social security contributions have been excluded. The example of the long wait for appropriate pay for the job shows.

Bremen Staff Council Opposes Longer Work Week

The general staff council in Bremen is rejecting the proposed 41-hour work week for civil servants. They call it a “fatal signal” against the traditional eight-hour workday and argue it’s a hidden pay cut. They also warn it could make the city a less attractive employer and increase the workload,especially for part-time workers and women.

The council notes that other states – Baden-Württemberg, Hesse, North Rhine-Westphalia, and Schleswig-holstein – have already implemented similar rules.However, Bremen’s plan lacks important protections found in those states. These protections, like exceptions for older workers, parents, or people with disabilities, would help lessen the impact of the longer work week. They believe these exceptions are crucial for fairness.