Brazil's congress has approved a constitutional amendment to shorten the working week to a maximum of 40 hours. This move could impact 30 million workers and is seen as a political victory for President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva ahead of the presidential runoff in under two weeks.
The amendment bans six-day workweeks, which are currently worked by 16 million people. It will reduce the maximum workweek from 44 to 40 hours for over 30 million workers. The change is anticipated to mainly affect workers in sectors such as retail, restaurants, and hotels, many of whom are low-paid.
President Lula championed the amendment, while his opponent, far-right senator Flávio Bolsonaro, initially opposed it but reversed his stance on Tuesday, stating that the majority of Brazilian workers supported the change. Bolsonaro joined 75 senators in approving the reform on Wednesday, which had passed the lower house in May. Only one senator voted against it.
Despite its approval, the changes will not take effect before the 25 October runoff. After the Senate president promulgates the amendment, a 60-day period will precede the abolition of six-day workweeks and the reduction of the maximum working week from 44 to 42 hours, followed by a further reduction to 40 hours after 14 months.