The Chamber of Deputies approved this Wednesday (27), in two rounds, the Proposed Amendment to the Constitution (PEC) that reduces the maximum working hours from 44 to 40 hours per week and establishes the end of the 6×1 schedule in Brazil. The text received a large majority of votes and now goes to the Federal Senate for analysis.
In the first round, the proposal was approved by 472 votes in favor and 22 against. In the second round, the score was 461 votes to 19. Before the plenary vote, the matter had already been validated by the special committee created to analyze the topic.
The proposed constitutional amendment guarantees two paid days of rest per week for workers, maintaining current salaries and minimum wages. The new rule will apply to private sector workers and provides for a gradual transition in working hours.
How will the work schedule be affected?
According to the approved text, the maximum weekly working hours will be reduced in two stages. Sixty days after the enactment of the Constitutional Amendment, the working hours will drop from 44 to 42 hours per week. After 12 months, the working hours will be reduced to 40 hours.
The proposal also stipulates two days off per week, one of which should preferably be on Sundays. The days off do not need to be consecutive.
The text maintains the possibility of collective agreements and conventions to define specific compensations and rules for categories with different work schedules.
Broad support and resistance from parties.
The proposal had the support of most parties in the Chamber, including sectors of the opposition. Only the Novo and Missão parties instructed their members to vote against the main text.
The Speaker of the House, Hugo Motta, decided to bring the vote forward to this Wednesday to avoid changes to the report approved by the special committee. According to allies, the strategy sought to prevent maneuvers that could alter the terms negotiated with the federal government.
After the approval, Motta stated that the decision represents a historic milestone for Brazilian workers and highlighted that the reduction of working hours, the two days of rest, and the maintenance of salaries were treated as non-negotiable pillars during the negotiations.
The session was tense and included arguments in the plenary.
The plenary session was marked by discussions between parliamentarians from the government's base and the opposition. The leader of the PL party, Sóstenes Cavalcante, tried to include an alternative proposal in the proceedings that would allow for paid work by the hour, but the request was denied by the president of the Chamber.
During the session, there were also clashes over expressions of support for the PEC within the plenary. Female parliamentarians and members of the government's base wore t-shirts defending the end of the 6x1 work schedule.
Congresswoman Erika Hilton, author of the original proposal that provided for a 36-hour work week on a 4x3 schedule, criticized opposition moves to extend the transition period of the measure.
Government works to get Senate approval.
The federal government is now working to expedite the passage of the constitutional amendment proposal in the Senate. The Minister of Labor, Luiz Marinho, stated that President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva will likely discuss the proposal with the President of the Senate, Davi Alcolumbre.
The expectation of the Presidential Palace is to finalize the approval of the constitutional amendment proposal sometime in 2026 so that the new rules can come into effect this year.
The issue became one of the main priorities of the federal government and gained strong support from unions, workers, and social movements during its passage through the Chamber of Deputies.
What changes with the PEC
Among the main points of the approved text are:
- Reduction of the maximum weekly working hours from 44 to 40 hours;
- Gradual implementation of the change over up to 14 months;
- Guaranteed two days off per week;
- Full maintenance of salaries;
- Possibility of collective agreements for overtime compensation;
- Relaxing the rules for specific categories;
- Preservation of existing work schedules of less than 40 hours.
The text also stipulates that workers with a higher education degree and monthly remuneration above R$ 21,1 may have different rules for controlling working hours, through an agreement between employee and employer.
Special committee approved text by a large majority.
In the special committee of the Chamber of Deputies, the report by Representative Léo Prates was approved by a large majority. Only four parliamentarians voted against the proposal.
During the debates, government supporters accused sectors of the opposition of trying to derail the agreement negotiated between the Chamber and the government. Meanwhile, deputies opposed to the proposal stated that the measure could generate economic impacts and an increase in layoffs.
Despite the disagreements, the text progressed rapidly and consolidated one of the biggest changes to Brazilian labor laws since the 1988 Constitution.
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