Senate Prepares First Vote on PEC to End 6×1 and Cut Workweek

Overview

• The Senate plenary is set to begin final votes on PEC 221/2019, which seeks to replace the six-days-on, one-day-off 6×1 schedule with a 5×2 two-days-off model and reduce the constitutional maximum workweek.
• Passage requires a three-fifths majority of 49 of 81 senators in two separate rounds, and the governing base is pursuing a special calendar to speed the process in the chamber.
• If the text is promulgated without changes, companies would have 60 days to adopt the 5×2 schedule and cut the cap from 44 to 42 hours, with a further reduction to 40 hours after 12 months.
• The PEC keeps guaranteed salary protection and preserves collective bargaining, while allowing a negotiated exception for workers with higher education and pay at or above R$21,188.87 per month provided they keep a 5×2 rest pattern.
• Supporters point to more rest and family time for workers while employers warn of scheduling and operational challenges in seven-day sectors, and lawmakers could return any altered text to the Chamber of Deputies for new analysis.