Overview
- The Senate began plenary discussions of PEC 221/2019 on Tuesday, October 6, starting the five required debate sessions that must precede a first-round vote.
- The amendment would cut the constitutional weekly cap from 44 to 40 hours, guarantee two paid weekly rest days and bar salary cuts, with a staged transition to 42 hours after two months and 40 hours after 14 months.
- The Lula government is actively lobbying senators to accelerate the process and Minister José Guimarães said he will seek meetings with congressional leaders to push the PEC as a political plank for the runoff campaign.
- Opposition forces and the PL, which elected 19 senators on Oct. 4 and projects a 28-seat caucus in 2027, are using quorum tactics and delay strategies to make a rapid approval unlikely.
- Economic impacts are contested—industry groups cite large cost estimates such as CNI's R$76 billion projection while Ipea and Unicamp find smaller effects—and the PEC still needs two separate votes with 49 of 81 senators in each round to pass or it will return to the Chamber if altered.