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Bill 1077/2025 Proposes Amending the CLT to Hold Employers Accountable in Cases of Suicide or Attempted Suicide Related to the Work Environment, Generating Intense Legal and Social Debate.
At the beginning of 2025, the Chamber of Deputies began to analyze the Bill 1077/2025, which promises to bring one of the most controversial and sensitive changes to Brazilian labor legislation. The proposal, authored by Deputy Alex Santana (Republicans-BA), amends the Consolidation of Labor Laws (CLT) to hold employers civilly liable in cases of suicide or attempted suicide by employees, when a link between the act and the work environment is proven.
The most innovative — and controversial — point of the text is that the company’s responsibility will apply even when the suicide occurs outside the workplace, as long as the motivation is associated with labor factors such as moral harassment, sexual harassment, or harmful conditions to mental health.
How the Proposal Works
The Bill 1077/2025 establishes that:
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Employee Fired While Treating Depression Wins in Court and Vale Is Required to Rehire Him Following Decision Based on the CLT and INSS Benefits
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- The employer may be held civilly liable in cases of suicide or attempted suicide of the employee related to the work environment;
- Liability will occur even when the event does not happen within the company, as long as a causal link with the work activity is proven;
- Situations of moral harassment, sexual harassment, excessive workload, abusive targets, and harmful environments to mental health are considered risk factors;
- The objective is to protect the dignity of workers and encourage companies to adopt stricter mental health prevention policies.
Why This Law Emerges Now
The debate gained momentum in light of worrying statistics. According to data from the World Health Organization (WHO), Brazil records around 14 thousand suicides per year, and estimates indicate that up to 12% of these cases have a direct relationship with labor factors, such as excessive pressures, discrimination, or harassment situations.
In Congress, the justification for the Bill highlights that the work environment is one of the main determinants of mental health, and that employers cannot evade responsibility when they contribute to extreme situations.
Impact on Companies
If approved, Bill 1077/2025 will open the door for a new front of compensatory actions in Labor Court. Companies may be ordered to pay millions in damages to the families of workers in cases of suicide linked to employment.
This means that managers and human resources departments will need to reinforce measures such as:
- Harassment prevention programs and effective reporting channels;
- Clear mental health and well-being policies;
- Monitoring environments considered toxic or high-pressure;
- Leadership training to prevent abusive practices.
Criticism and Controversies
The project, however, divides opinions.
- Supporters claim that the measure is necessary to combat the negligence of companies that ignore signs of mental illness in their employees. For them, accountability will have an educational and preventive effect, forcing managers to create healthier work environments.
- Critics point to the risk of “unlimited liability,” where employers could be penalized even for external factors, with no direct relation to work. Labor lawyers warn that the difficulty in proving the causal link could lead to an explosive increase in litigation.
Where the Project Is in the Legislation Process
Currently, Bill 1077/2025 is under analysis in the Chamber of Deputies and must go through the Labor, Social Security, and Constitution and Justice committees before going to the Plenary. If approved, it will go to the Senate and, subsequently, for presidential sanction.
Due to the high sensitivity of the topic, intense debates are expected, both in Parliament and in civil society.
The Fine Line Between Protection and Responsibility
The Bill 1077/2025 brings to the forefront one of the greatest dilemmas of contemporary labor law: to what extent should a company be held accountable for the emotional and psychological impacts of its management style?
If transformed into law, the project could inaugurate a new era of corporate responsibility for mental health, making Brazil one of the few countries in the world to recognize the link between suicide and the work environment as grounds for compensation.
The inevitable question remains: are Brazilian companies prepared to assume this responsibility — or will the market see an explosive increase in litigation?
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