Commerce Confederation Asks Brazil’s Supreme Court to Postpone New Workweek

Overview

• The Confederação Nacional do Comércio (CNC) filed a direct challenge at the Supremo Tribunal Federal on Tuesday asking the court to delay the first phase of the transition from 44 to 42 hours from December 16, 2026 to October 16, 2027 and to push the final 40‑hour deadline to October 16, 2028.
• The CNC says the 60‑day window for the initial cut is materially unworkable because firms must redesign shifts, hire and train staff, and renegotiate collective deals during the year’s peak sales and tourism season.
• As interim relief the petition asks the court to suspend deadlines for micro and small firms until a complementary law or a court‑set term is in place and to preserve collective‑bargaining clauses until their contractual end dates.
• The filing also challenges unequal adaptation periods for public-sector contracts and asks permission for a temporary five‑day distribution of 42 hours — with days up to 8 hours 24 minutes — without prior collective agreement.
• The court has not ruled and the CNC has requested a decision or interim order before the December 16 start date, a move that could determine whether employers must immediately change schedules for millions of workers or gain months to adjust.