Senate Committee Opens Debate on Ending 6x1 Schedule With 36-Hour Cap

Overview

• Lawmakers in the Senate’s CCJ began formal discussion of PEC 148/2015, which would replace the 6x1 model with a 5x2 schedule and set a constitutional ceiling of 36 hours per week.
• Committee chair Otto Alencar said an agreement with opposition senators ensures a series of public hearings before any vote on the proposal.
• Rapporteur Rogério Carvalho presented a draft that preserves pay and phases the change by moving to 40 hours in the first year after promulgation, then cutting one hour annually until reaching 36.
• Public momentum has intensified the push, with the Movimento Vida Além do Trabalho’s petitions surpassing one million signatures and reported totals above 1.5 million.
• Political and business resistance persists, as Chamber President Hugo Motta urges caution and similar efforts have previously stalled, including a PEC archived in 2023 after never reaching plenary votes.