Brazil’s lower house approved late on Wednesday a constitutional amendment reducing the workweek, a measure that President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva hopes to use as a centerpiece of his re-election campaign later this year.
The amendment cuts working hours in Latin America’s largest economy to 40 hours a week from 44, effectively ending a common practice in some sectors, such as retail, of requiring employees to work six days a week.
The Lula administration has set the measure as a legislative priority as the 80-year-old leftist leader is expected to seek a fourth non-consecutive term in an October election.
“More than just hours on the clock, we are returning to workers the right to spend time with their families, to rest and to have a life beyond work,” Lula wrote on social media after the approval.
The proposal now requires Senate ratification after clearing the lower house in a 461-19 second-round vote. It may still return to the lower chamber if senators make any changes to the main text.
The new standard would be applied over a 14-month transition period. The workweek would be reduced by two hours within 60 days of enactment, with a further two-hour reduction one year later.
The amendment also mandates at least two days off per week and no reduction in pay.
Sector-specific rules and further details will be addressed in subsequent legislation. The government has said that the new rules could benefit more than 37 million workers.
Earlier this year, lawmakers in Mexico – Latin America’s second-largest economy – also approved a bill to gradually reduce the workweek to 40 hours from 48, although maintaining only one rest day for every six worked.
(Reporting by Fernando Cardoso; Editing by Gabriel Araujo and Chiara Rodriquez)
