Deutsche Bank employees’ union DBV wants an “AI relief day” in private banking labor-management negotiations starting Oct. 8, pushing for “AI stress relief days.” For departments where work becomes heavier due to AI, employees would get an extra 1 to 3 days off per quarter depending on the extent of the added burden. The union says AI means employees have to handle more cases and check more results in the same amount of time, while the employer side, AGV Banken, argues that this would only increase costs. (Background: Tech revolutions have always made office workers busier—can AI be the first exception in history?) (Further background reading: Why the tech industry is collectively depressed—when AI takes away the last bit of human warmth in your job) Key takeaways DBV wants AI stress relief days: extra compensatory time of 1 to 3 days per quarter The employer side surveyed 942 employees; 52% say AI causes no burden at all About 150,000 employees work in Germany’s private banking sector; talks begin in Berlin on Oct. 8 The German bank employees’ union DBV (Deutscher Bankangestellten-Verband) has proposed “AI stress relief days” (KI-Entlastungstage) and is preparing to push the idea with the employer in the private banking sector labor-management negotiations starting Oct. 8. In departments affected by AI, depending on the type and severity of the workload increase, employees could get an extra 1 to 3 days off per quarter, up to a maximum of 12 days per year. According to an explanation of the proposal DBV provided to its members obtained by Bloomberg, automation shortens a single process, so the number of cases employees can handle increases—creating new burdens from there. With the same working hours, employees would need to process more cases, check more of the results produced by AI, and correct more errors. DBV’s chief negotiator for private bank talks, Wolfgang Ermann, said: “Where work becomes more dense and complex or carries greater responsibility, the company needs to compensate.” The employer association for the private banking industry (AGV Banken) has already publicly opposed the proposal. In response to Bloomberg in August, Managing Director Carsten Rogge-Strang said: “On the one hand, jobs disappear due to automation, and on the other hand, you make labor more expensive with stress relief days—these two things don’t go together. This will only increase cost pressure and, in the end, sacrifice more job opportunities.” Stress relief days must first be assessed The DBV negotiation document released on the 25th sets the conditions relatively narrowly: the stress relief days target departments where, after evaluation, it is confirmed that work has become heavier. Triggers for an evaluation include operational changes that—under Section 111 of Germany’s (Companies Constitution Act)—must be negotiated with employee representatives, such as introducing or expanding the use of AI, automating existing processes, an increase in the number of cases or amount of data, and new checking or compliance work. Occupational safety risk assessments and records such as employee burnout/overwork reports can also serve as supporting evidence. During the evaluation, if employees’ workload, complexity, or responsibilities increase but their job grade is not adjusted, that is the basis for granting the time off. If, as a result, employees are promoted to a higher pay grade, the promotion itself counts as compensation and no additional stress relief days are provided. The actual number of days is determined by company agreements signed between each bank and its employee representatives. The time off must be used within the same quarter and cannot be carried over to the next quarter, and part-time employees are included as well. DBV refers to these requirements as “value creation compensation.” The union’s argument is that AI increases productivity for banks, and that portion of the gains should be returned to employees, with the additional burdens balanced internally within the company. Employers counter with a survey of 942 people AGV Banken commissioned a survey by the market research firm Kantar of 942 private banking employees. In it, 52% said technology changes such as AI cause employees “no burden at all.” Among the 12 sources of pressure listed in the survey, digitization ranked last. The survey also found that employees who use AI frequently report higher satisfaction across almost all aspects. Rogge-Strang told the HR media outlet Personalwirtschaft: “The vast majority of employees feel that using AI makes the job more fulfilling and helpful.” He believes no additional rest measures are needed and even said, “Let’s not exaggerate things—we really shouldn’t.” The head of the Institute for Applied Labor Science Research (ifaa), Sascha Stowasser, said in a statement from the institute as well that “you can’t derive a one-size-fits-all additional rest requirement from the act of using AI,” and that the severity of the burden depends on how the work is organized. In its response on its website, DBV said that when the employer rejected the proposal in August, it had not seen the specific assessment mechanism. Ermann said: “I’m very surprised that it was rejected so quickly. At the time, the employer neither knew the triggering conditions we set nor knew the evaluation criteria.” The demands also include a pay raise A 9.5% pay raise is just one additional demand linked to the AI stress relief days. The main demand is a comprehensive 9.5% pay increase starting Oct. 1 for a 24-month contract term. Other demands include an extra €160 per month for apprentices and trainees, the ability for employees to buy up to 10 days of additional leave, and a transitional arrangement reducing working hours for employees who are at the eligible age, plus an additional €1,500 per month knowledge transfer bonus. The union’s rationale is that major banks are doing very well financially. Deutsche Bank’s pre-tax profit in 2025 was €9.7 billion, and Commerzbank returned about €2.7 billion to shareholders the same year. DBV also noted that even for many long-tenured employees, the monthly salaries are only about €4,200 to €5,900 before tax—closer to typical full-time office workers than to the high pay that outsiders imagine for banks. FAQ What are the AI stress relief days proposed by the German bank employees’ union? DBV proposes that departments affected by AI or automation receive an extra 1 to 3 days off per quarter after labor-management assessment and confirmation that the work has become heavier. The days must be used within the quarter and cannot be accumulated, and the measure applies to part-time employees as well. Have the German bank employees’ AI stress relief days already been approved? Not yet—this is only DBV’s demand in labor negotiations, and the employer side AGV Banken has publicly opposed it. The first round of talks will be held on Oct. 8 in Berlin, with follow-up talks in November. 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