Congress Promulgates End to 6x1 Work Schedule

Overview

• The Congress formally promulgated the constitutional amendment on Friday, Oct. 16, in a ceremony in Brasília attended by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
• The PEC guarantees two paid days of weekly rest, cuts the constitutional maximum from 44 hours to 42 hours after roughly 60 days and to 40 hours after the longer transition, and forbids salary reductions.
• Lula used the promulgação as a campaign moment in events later the same day while his rival Flávio Bolsonaro, who had criticized the measure earlier, voted for the PEC in the Senate.
• Electoral and legal fights over messaging continue: a TSE minister barred a Lula ad that said Flávio opposed ending the 6x1, and campaign officials said the PEC allows negotiated, sector-specific transitional measures to limit disruption for small businesses.
• Social-media monitoring shows only a small improvement in Lula’s online image after the vote and promulgação, and analysts say the change alone is unlikely to decisively shift the tight race.