Brazil's Congress approves shorter working week in win for Lula

Key points

• Brazil's Congress approved a constitutional amendment cutting the workweek from 44 to 40 hours with two days off and no salary cut.
• The measure, backed by President Lula, is estimated to benefit over 30 million workers.
• The Senate passed it 75-1 on Wednesday, less than two weeks before the October 25 presidential runoff.

Brazil's Congress has approved a constitutional amendment that reduces the standard working week from 44 hours to 40 hours and guarantees employees two days off per week without a salary reduction. The change is described as the biggest overhaul of workers' rights since Brazil's return to democracy in 1988.

The Senate passed the measure on Wednesday by 75 votes to one, after the Chamber of Deputies had already approved it in May. Left-wing President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva had championed the amendment, and its passage comes less than two weeks before the country's presidential runoff on October 25.

Election context and public support

Lula's supporters hope the amendment, estimated to benefit more than 30 million workers, will help him close the gap with his right-wing rival, Flávio Bolsonaro. In the first round, Bolsonaro won 47% of the vote to Lula's 45.2%, forcing a second round. Opinion polls indicate the shorter workweek is very popular, with one nationwide survey finding almost 70% of Brazilians backed it.

It means more time to live, rest, be with family, watch your children grow up, look after yourself and enjoy life

— Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva

Bolsonaro's reversal and reactions

Flávio Bolsonaro, currently a senator, dropped his earlier opposition and voted yes. He said on Tuesday that he had been swayed by the measure's popularity, stating: "Most Brazilian workers want to see the end of the six-day workweek, so I'm going to vote in favour of ending it." He had previously called the proposal an opportunistic attempt to appeal to working-class voters and argued work schedules should be set by employers and employees, not by constitutional amendment.

Lula called Bolsonaro's reversal "electoral opportunism" and celebrated the approval, writing on social media that it means more time to live, rest, be with family, watch children grow up, look after oneself and enjoy life. Critics warn the change will raise production costs and lead to higher consumer prices, while supporters say better-rested workers will be more productive.

Phased implementation and worker voices

The change will be phased in: the workweek first drops to 42 hours after a two-month grace period, then to 40 hours later. It will take more than a year to fully take effect. Luciana de Almeida, a 36-year-old supermarket cashier in Rio de Janeiro, said the change would "make a lot of difference" to her life. The single mother, who works six days a week, said her only day off was usually spent on domestic chores and that she needs time with her three daughters, leisure time or simply rest at home.