ABSTRACT
With their regular wage demands, the trade unions are often perceived by ecologically minded people in particular as drivers of economic growth. However, foregoing wage demands is not an option for contributing to lower growth and an ecologically sound economy: only capital would then reap the rewards of productivity gains, in the form of higher profits. One way out of this dilemma is to reduce working hours. This means that productivity gains are not channelled into growth and thus greater environmental damage, but into more leisure time. The recent renaissance of working time policy in collective agreements is therefore also a good sign from an ecological point of view.
