Brazil Ends 6x1 Scale and Establishes 5x2 Workweek

Overview

• The constitutional amendment that ends the 6x1 schedule was promulgated in mid‑October and formally creates a 5x2 model with two days off per week.
• The law orders a staged transition that reduces the standard weekly cap from 44 to 42 hours at the start of the changeover and to 40 hours one year later.
• The text allows collective agreements to shift weekly rest days provided workers average two days off per week and receive at least one uninterrupted rest every seven days.
• Senators led by MDB’s Eduardo Braga are preparing a parallel PEC to carve out or adapt rules for shift and revezamento sectors such as offshore crews, aviation staff and long‑haul truckers.
• The Executive is drafting a regulatory decree and a special‑rules bill while unions, employers and courts prepare for disputes over shift reorganization, hiring needs, outsourcing and limits on abusive overtime.