A constitutional amendment passed by Congress sets the standard working week in Brazil at 40 hours — down from the previous 44-hour ceiling — with two guaranteed rest days and no reduction in pay, a change that stands to affect upwards of 30 million workers across the country. The policy adjustment has been described as the most sweeping overhaul of scheduled working hours in over three decades, with those currently on six-day rosters standing to gain the most from its provisions.
The Senate voted 75 to one in favour of the measure on Wednesday, having already cleared the lower house in May. The reform has drawn attention as a contested point between President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and his presidential run-off opponent Flávio Bolsonaro, with the ballot set for 25 October. Tallying the first-round results, the candidate identified as Bolsonaro's son drew 47% of votes cast, with Lula's total at 45.2%.
Bolsonaro cast a vote in support of the measure after stating that a majority of workers in Brazil were in favour of eliminating the six-day working week — a position he said drove his decision. Prior to this point, he had described the proposal as an electoral tactic timed for political gain.
Lula described the change in his rival's position as a politically motivated move timed to the election cycle, while separately expressing support for the amendment on the grounds that it would give workers more hours for rest, family, and personal wellbeing — sentiments he shared via social media.
Hours at work are set to come down in stages, with the transition rolled out incrementally. Following a two-month introductory phase, the weekly hours cap will fall to 42, then to 40 once another twelve months have passed.
Luciana de Almeida, 36, works six days a week at a Rio de Janeiro supermarket checkout while raising her three children on her own. Speaking to a broadcaster, she described the proposed reform as one that would bring a real difference to her daily routine, explaining that her one weekly rest day is routinely consumed by domestic tasks, leaving her physically and mentally drained, and that what she needs is time with her daughters, space for leisure, or simply the chance to rest at home.
A nationwide poll indicated that close to 70% of Brazilians back a reduced working week, a proposal that advocates say could meaningfully improve the balance between work and personal life for people throughout the country.
