Senate Completes Third Day of Debates on PEC to End 6x1 Workweek

Overview

• The Senate finished the third of five required plenary debate sessions on PEC 221/2019 on Thursday, with two debates left and leadership aiming to accelerate the timetable.
• The amendment would phase the maximum weekly workweek from 44 to 40 hours, guarantee two paid days of rest without salary cuts, and set special rules for certain professions and essential services.
• Government leaders are finalizing a requerimento (special calendar) that seeks to compress debate rules and waive the interstice, a five‑day minimum gap between voting turns, so both voting rounds could be held sooner.
• Passage requires at least 49 votes in each of two separate voting turns, and opponents led by Senator Flávio Bolsonaro are preparing countermeasures including a proposal to shift pay to an hourly model to blunt the PEC’s effects.
• Debate so far has centered on worker health and productivity benefits versus costs for employers, and the next week’s schedule will determine whether the chamber moves from discussion to a consequential first‑turn vote.