Brazil Abolishes Six-Day Workweek Ahead of Presidential Run-Off

Brazil’s senate has approved a constitutional amendment ending the country’s six-day workweek, delivering a key pledge by president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva just days before an election run-off. 

The reform, passed on Wednesday, shortens the working week from 44 hours to a maximum of 40 hours and is set to improve working conditions for more than 37 million people. That includes 16 million who work six-day weeks and are now guaranteed two days of rest each week without a reduction to their wages.

The amendment primarily affects workers in low paid industries such as retail and hospitality, one of the groups from which Lula has lost support since defeating far-right incumbent Jair Bolsonaro in the 2022 election. Bolsonaro is serving a 27-year prison sentence for plotting a failed coup in the wake of his defeat. 

Informal and gig economy workers, including app-based drivers without employment contracts, will not be covered by the new law.

Lula, who will face far-right Flávio Bolsonaro, the jailed former president’s son, for a second round on 25 October, called the reform a “victory for the working class”. 

He said on X the vote was “a historic achievement for millions of workers, who will now have more time to rest, be with their family, take care of themselves and live,” 

The victory may give Lula a much-needed boost; the leftwing incumbent came second behind Bolsonaro in the first round of voting on 4 October and is still trailing him in the polls, albeit by a small margin.

Brazilian trade unions and labour federations welcomed the amendment, which they said followed months of widespread strikes and protests by workers. Advocates have been calling for the policy for years, but it gained more traction in 2023 thanks to a viral TikTok video by pharmacy clerk-turned-influencer Rick Azevedo.  

Bolsonaro long opposed the proposal, calling it an “opportunistic” attempt by Lula to appeal to working-class voters. But he reversed course shortly before the 4 October vote, telling journalists that “most Brazilian workers ‌want to ⁠see the end of the six-day workweek.” 

Seventy-five senators, including Bolsonaro allies, voted in favour of the amendment. The only one to vote against it was former vice-president Hamilton Mourão, who worked under Jair Bolsonaro.