President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva celebrated yesterday the approval of the Constitutional Amendment Proposal (PEC) that ends the 6×1 schedule and reduces the maximum working hours in Brazil, classifying the measure as a “historic and civilizing achievement”. The PEC was approved by the Chamber of Deputees and is expected to go to the Senate, where the president of the House, Davi Alcolumbre, has not yet given signals on how he will treat the proposal. With the measure, the maximum working hours in Brazil will drop from 44 to 42 hours a week 60 days after the promulgation of the PEC and will reach 40 hours 12 months after this first change. In addition, workers will have the right to two paid days off per week, one of them preferably on Sundays.
The approval of the PEC was the result of intense negotiations between the government and parliamentarians, led by President Lula and the president of the Chamber, Hugo Motta. The measure is considered a priority of the government and is expected to become one of the main showcases of President Lula’s re-election campaign. The PEC also determines that workers will have the right to two paid days off per week, one of them preferably on Sundays. Collective conventions and agreements may establish differentiated regimes, as long as they guarantee an average of two days of weekly rest per month. A specific law will still be created to regulate these exceptions.
It is worth noting that the reduction of working hours in Brazil has been under discussion since the 1980s, when the then Minister of Labor, Luiz Marinho, proposed reducing the working hours from 44 to 40 hours a week. However, this measure was never implemented. The 6×1 schedule was common in some sectors of the country, especially in industry, where workers were forced to work for 6 days in a row, with a day off in the middle of the period. The reduction of working hours is considered an important measure for improving working conditions and reducing stress and turnover (change of employees) in companies.
The approval of the PEC also has implications for the Brazilian economy. According to studies, the reduction of working hours can generate cost savings for companies and can be an important measure for the country’s competitiveness in relation to other countries. In addition, the measure can help reduce income inequality in Brazil, as workers who earn less per week may receive a fairer salary.
