Brazil’s Congress has approved a constitutional amendment that will cut the maximum working week from 44 hours to 40 hours and abolish six-day workweeks, a change that will affect more than 30 million workers and carry significant political weight for President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva ahead of the October 25 presidential runoff. Around 16 million people currently work six days a week, according to The Guardian, and will gain an additional day off under the new rules.
The reform, which had already passed the lower house in May, cleared the Senate on Wednesday with 75 votes in favour. Only one senator, Hamilton Mourao, a former vice president under Jair Bolsonaro, the father of Lula’s runoff opponent Flavio Bolsonaro, voted against it. The change is expected to primarily affect workers in retail shops, restaurants and hotels, many of whom earn low wages.
President Lula, who strongly backed the amendment, celebrated its approval on social media, saying that ending the six-day work schedule would give people more time to rest, spend time with their families, watch their children grow up and take care of themselves. The proposal traces its origins to a TikTok movement called Life Beyond Work, launched by a pharmacy assistant who later entered politics. Lula and his party subsequently embraced the campaign and pushed for a Senate vote.
The amendment’s passage marks a notable reversal for far-right senator Flavio Bolsonaro, Lula’s opponent in the runoff, who had opposed the reform for months. In May, he warned it could trigger large-scale unemployment, an argument also made by business groups against the change. On Tuesday, however, he shifted his position, noting that most Brazilian workers supported the proposal, and voted in favour on Wednesday while campaigning in southern Brazil. Despite his vote, Bolsonaro said he preferred an alternative plan under which pay would depend on hours actually worked, and reports indicate he told business leaders he would review parts of the amendment if elected.
Public opinion appears firmly behind the measure, with polls showing support above 70 percent of the population, a factor that helped push the vote forward despite opposition from some political groups. Analysts say the approval could bolster Lula’s re-election bid. Researcher Victor Escobar said the change could benefit the president’s campaign because voters might feel more positive about their economic situation.
The new rules will not take effect before the runoff. Once the Senate president formally approves the amendment, a 60-day period will follow, after which six-day workweeks will be abolished and the maximum working week will first drop to 42 hours. It will be reduced further to 40 hours after an additional 14 months.
Experts welcomed the reform’s focus on worker wellbeing. Marilane Oliveira Teixeira, a professor and researcher at the University of Campinas, said working six days a week can limit workers’ social lives and leave them exhausted, and highlighted the particular burden on women, who often juggle unpaid household work alongside their jobs.
Original Source: https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/brazil-approves-40-hour-workweek-sets-up-end-of-six-day-workweek-12197598#publisher=newsstand
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Publish Date: 2026-10-17 08:21:00
