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5d ago

Brazil Senate Approves 40‑Hour Week and Abolishes Six‑Day Schedule

A constitutional amendment guarantees two paid rest days under a phased 14‑month rollout and is timed to influence the Oct. 25 presidential runoff.

Supporters of Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who is running for reelection, shout slogans during a rally ahead of the presidential runoff election, in Rio de Janeiro, Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo)
Opposition presidential candidate Sen. Flavio Bolsonaro speaks to the press after visiting his father, former President Jair Bolsonaro who is serving his sentence for a coup attempt at home, in Brasilia, Brazil, Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)
Supporters of Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who is running for reelection, stand on a dumpster during a rally ahead of the presidential runoff election, in Rio de Janeiro,Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo)
Opposition presidential candidate Sen. Flavio Bolsonaro, center, and his wife Fernanda pose for a selfie with a youth after attending Mass at the Metropolitan Cathedral of Our Lady of Aparecida, the patron saint of Brazil, on her feast day in Brasilia, Brazil, Monday, Oct. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Arthur Menescal)

Overview

  • The Senate approved the amendment in two rounds Wednesday with a 75‑1 vote, sending the measure to be promulgated and implemented in stages.
  • The change cuts the maximum workweek from 44 to 40 hours and ends the 6x1 six‑days‑on, one‑day‑off schedule while protecting workers’ pay.
  • The government says more than 37 million formal‑sector workers could benefit, including roughly 16 million on 6x1 rosters who will gain an extra day off.
  • Businesses have 14 months to adjust schedules; industry groups warn of large cost increases while the Ipea research body projects modest impacts and possible productivity gains.
  • Informal and many gig workers are excluded from the amendment, and opponents say a future Congress could revise the change if political control shifts.