English 
Spanish 
5 min read
1 comments
The proposal to abolish the 6x1 workday could change the way we work in Brazil, but it is dividing opinions. Businesspeople warn of the economic impact, while experts argue that the measure could improve quality of life and even create new jobs.
A proposed constitutional amendment (PEC) which aims to eliminate the 6×1 workday has sparked a heated debate about the potential economic and social impacts of this change.
Since its announcement, the proposal has generated a great deal of repercussion on social media and among business confederations representing vital economic sectors.
However, criticism of the project, which reduces weekly working hours from 44 to 36 hours, highlights the potential negative effects for small and medium-sized business owners, in addition to questioning its effectiveness in improving the job market.
- Lula reveals ambitious plans for 2025: government focuses on economy and security to transform Brazil
- More than 3 operations, 33,5 kilos of gold confiscated and R$245 million in losses from illegal mining mark the largest offensive ever recorded in the Yanomami Indigenous Land
- China buys more gold than any other country in the world and has already accumulated 2.264 tons in its coffers
- Uranium? No way! China is eyeing a monumental deposit of rare earths in a mine in the Amazon!
The decision on the future of this proposal promises to impact millions of workers and define new guidelines for Brazilian companies.
The project authored by federal deputy Erika Hilton (PSOL-SP) aims to provide a better quality of life for workers, who, according to advocates, are facing exhaustion due to the current workload.
The deputy argues that the reduction could even foster a more dynamic economy, stimulating consumption and ensuring greater well-being for the working population.
However, according to Hilton, the PEC still needs to gather more signatures to move forward. As of November 12, 2024, the project had 134 of the 171 signatures needed to begin processing in the National Congress.
Entities criticize the change and fear the impact on the market
The main business representation entities, such as the National Confederation of Industry (CNI) and the National Confederation of Commerce of Goods, Services and Tourism (CNC), harshly criticized the proposal.
According to these organizations, a mandatory and abrupt reduction in working hours would seriously harm the competitiveness of companies, especially small and micro-enterprises.
The CNI pointed out that, without adequate planning, this change tends to overload business costs and compromise the financial balance of smaller businesses, generating consequences such as employee layoffs or even the closure of companies.
Alexandre Furlan, president of the CNI Labor Relations Council, stated that “the compulsory reduction of working hours does not automatically create new jobs”, reinforcing that economic growth is the main factor in generating job opportunities.
Furlan highlighted that flexible working hours must be a process negotiated between employers and employees, according to the demands and economic reality of each sector.
He also argued that changes to working hours should be analyzed through collective agreements and specific agreements, instead of being regulated as a national requirement.
Impact on trade: new requirements could hurt small businesses
The CNC also echoed the CNI's concerns, highlighting that the new working hours would have a direct impact on the trade and services sectors, making it difficult to maintain operations.
In a note, the CNC warned of the risk that reducing working hours without a proportional reduction in wages could increase operating costs, forcing companies to rethink their structures and operating hours.
According to the statement, companies could even close on specific days to reduce expenses, which would harm both consumers and workers who depend on additional hours to supplement their income.
In November 2024, CNC published an internal survey showing that 65% of businesspeople in the trade and tourism sector believe that PEC will lead to layoffs, while 47% see a risk of lower salaries for future hires.
According to this data, there is a fear that the increase in costs with salaries and charges will be offset by adjustments in the staff and reduction in employment benefits.
Mobilization and popular support for the PEC grows
Moreover, The PEC has growing support among workers' groups and unions, who defend the reduction of working hours as a necessary step to improve the mental and physical health of professionals.
According to the Unified Workers' Central (CUT), the current 6×1 scale is “exhausting and detrimental” to the well-being of employees, and reducing it to 36 hours would allow for a better quality of life and more time for personal and family activities.
The CUT also argues that this change could reduce the number of sick days caused by burnout, a problem that has been intensifying in Brazil, as recent studies show.
However, business sectors and unions still need to reach a consensus on the best way to implement the reduction in working hours.
On November 11, 2024, a public hearing at the National Congress brought together representatives from both sides, who presented their positions and called for caution in analyzing the PEC.
The debates remain polarized, and the pressure for the project to move forward or be rejected increases every week.
Next steps of the PEC and prospect of approval
If the PEC obtains the necessary number of signatures, the project will be discussed in Congress committees before being voted on in the plenary session of the Chamber of Deputies.
The full process could take months and face resistance from both parliamentarians linked to the business sector and those who defend flexibility.
Hilton and other supporters of the proposal, however, believe that the change to the 6x1 scale could become a milestone in the country's labor relations, promoting a fairer and more sustainable environment for the working class.
The question now lies in how to reconcile the demands of both sides, ensuring a policy that values workers without putting the viability of companies at risk.
Will the PEC against the 6×1 scale be able to move forward, or will it face insurmountable obstacles? The answer is yet to come, but, without a doubt, the debate on working hours promises to change the Brazilian labor scenario in the coming years.
It would be worthwhile reducing workers' working hours to 40 (forty) hours per week. Reducing it to 36 (thirty-six) hours is unreasonable.