Brazil cuts work week to 40 hours in win for Lula ahead of runoff

Brazil’s constitutional amendment changes both the schedule and the maximum number of weekly hours. It bans the six-day, one-day-off pattern known as 6x1. It also lowers the legal maximum workweek from 44 hours to 40.

The amendment will not reduce everyone’s schedule immediately. After the Senate president promulgates it, six-day workweeks will be abolished after 60 days. The maximum will first fall from 44 to 42 hours, then reach 40 hours after another 14 months.

The change matters because it could affect more than 30 million workers, especially in retail, restaurants and hotels. Supporters say an extra day off can create more time for rest, family, health care and study. Researchers also link one-day-off schedules with exhaustion, illness and workplace risks, particularly for women carrying unpaid domestic responsibilities.

The amendment could affect more than 30 million Brazilian workers by lowering the maximum workweek from 44 to 40 hours. It separately bans six-day workweeks, which are currently worked by 16 million people. Some workers may be included in both figures.

The biggest effects are expected in sectors where six-day schedules are common. The article identifies retail, restaurants and hotels, with many workers in these industries earning low wages. These workers often have only one regular day away from work.

The scale also gives the reform political importance. Lula lost significant support among some of these workers after his 2022 election victory over Jair Bolsonaro. The amendment therefore affects not only workplace schedules but also a large voting group before the presidential runoff. Its practical effects will begin only after promulgation and the stated transition periods.

The amendment does not take effect before the presidential runoff on 25 October. First, Senate president Davi Alcolumbre must promulgate it. A 60-day period then follows before six-day workweeks are abolished and the maximum workweek begins its reduction.

The reduction happens in two stages. The maximum currently stands at 44 hours. After the initial 60-day period, it falls to 42 hours. After a further 14 months, the maximum reaches 40 hours.

This timetable separates the political approval from the workplace change. Lula can campaign on the reform’s passage, but workers will not immediately receive its full benefit. Employers and employees will face the final 40-hour limit only after the staged transition described in the amendment. The article does not give a specific calendar date for the 40-hour endpoint.

The reform is expected to affect mainly workers in retail, restaurants and hotels. The article describes many of them as low-paid. These industries are likely to feel the change because six-day schedules are common among their employees.

Lilian Cristo dos Santos provides a concrete example. She works as a saleswoman at a home-appliances shop in Salvador and has only one day off. She says that day is consumed by cleaning, family care and personal errands, leaving no time for doctors, study or rest.

The impact may be especially significant for women. Researcher Marilane Oliveira Teixeira said six-day schedules can cause illness, workplace risks and exhaustion, particularly when women also perform unpaid domestic work. The amendment could therefore change both paid schedules and the time available for family life, self-care and social activities.

Lula strongly championed the shorter workweek because it promised an extra day off for millions of workers. The reform also addressed problems linked to the 6x1 schedule, including exhaustion and the lack of time for family, health care and study. A researcher said its approval could improve how voters felt economically before the runoff.

Flávio Bolsonaro opposed the change for months and warned that it could cause “mass unemployment,” echoing employers’ associations. He reversed his position on Tuesday, saying most Brazilian workers supported the reform, then voted for it with 75 senators.

The political calculation was clear. Polls showed more than 70% of the general population backed the proposal, including more than half of Bolsonaro’s voters. His party had considered blocking it, but opposition could have carried an electoral cost. He still promoted an alternative based on hours actually worked and said he would review parts of the amendment if elected.

The proposal began as Life Beyond Work, a TikTok movement founded by a pharmacy assistant. The campaign argued for more life outside employment. Its founder later entered politics, and Lula embraced the proposal as part of his campaign for a shorter workweek.

Lula’s party spent months pressing the Senate to schedule a vote. The lower house had already passed the reform in May. Senate president Davi Alcolumbre, despite sometimes rocky relations with Lula, eventually put it before the chamber.

The Senate approved it with 75 votes in favor and one against. Hamilton Mourão, Jair Bolsonaro’s former vice-president, was the only senator to oppose it. The reform’s path shows how a social-media campaign gained political support, moved through both congressional chambers and became a constitutional amendment. It still required promulgation and a staged implementation period.

The article links six-day schedules with limited social life, exhaustion, illness and workplace risks. An extra day off could give workers more time for family, medical care, study and recovery. Teixeira said women may benefit especially because they also carry unpaid domestic work.

For employers, fewer permitted hours can mean reorganizing shifts, hiring additional staff or paying overtime where it applies. If productivity does not cover those costs, businesses might raise prices, reduce operating hours or limit hiring. Wages could remain unchanged, rise if labor becomes harder to recruit, or fall only where contracts and labor rules allow; the amendment itself does not settle this.

Employers’ associations have repeatedly warned of “mass unemployment.” The article provides no evidence proving that outcome or quantifying costs, prices, wages or job losses. Those effects will depend on how workplaces adapt during the 60-day start and later reductions to 40 hours.