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The knot, according to the president of the Santa Catarina cooperative, goes beyond payroll costs: the market no longer offers enough labor even for the current workforce. Unable to hire, he says the path will be to reduce production, with the risk of closing integrated farms and cutting jobs in the field and industry.
Aurora Coop, considered the largest meat cooperative in Brazil, estimates it would need to hire an additional 11,000 workers on top of the current 51,000 just to produce slightly less than today, should Congress approve the end of the 6×1 schedule and the reduction of the workweek to 40 hours. This calculation comes from the cooperative’s president, Neivor Canton, in an interview published on May 26, 2026, by columnist Estela Benetti of NSC Total.
The warning comes at a decisive moment in the debate. On the eve, May 25, 2026, the Special Committee of the Chamber of Deputies began analyzing the report on the proposal to change the country’s workweek, amid an agreement between the Lula government and the House presidency to unlock the vote. The discussion is considered one of the most sensitive for the productive sector, especially for agro-industries with interconnected production chains, such as the meat sector.
The account of the Santa Catarina cooperative
Headquartered in Chapecó, in western Santa Catarina, and founded in 1969, Aurora Coop is a central organization that brings together 14 affiliated cooperatives and dozens of industrial units in various states. According to president Neivor Canton, internal simulations indicate that to maintain a production level slightly below the current one under the new workweek, the cooperative would have to expand its workforce from the current 51,000 to about 62,000 workers.
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The leader states that this increase would represent an additional cost that is difficult to absorb, at a time when the market has not accepted price adjustments. Therefore, according to him, the alternative would be to pass this cost increase onto the consumer, in an uncertain calculation that depends on the market’s willingness to pay more for products, especially animal protein items, which directly impact families’ basic food baskets.
The Labor Bottleneck
The most delicate point, according to the president of Aurora, is not just the cost, but the feasibility of hiring. He states that the cooperative is already facing difficulties in filling open positions, which would make it practically unfeasible to achieve the goal of hiring 11,000 more workers in a short time, especially in regions of the interior of Santa Catarina where the labor supply is historically tight.
In light of this restriction, Canton states that the most likely path would be to reduce production volume, which would cause chain effects. This is because the meat agribusiness operates with a live and integrated chain, where cooperative rural producers raise poultry and pigs to supply the industrial plants. If the industry slaughters less, farms lose their destination for their animals, some producers may be left without activity, and within the factories, there is a risk of idleness and layoffs.
“Almost a Restart”
The president of Aurora described the scenario as “almost a restart.” According to him, the cooperative would need to recalculate the consumer’s purchasing capacity, resize how much product it can offer at new prices, and adjust the entire operation to a cost structure different from the current one, in a process that would require time, planning, and working capital.
This type of impact, in Canton’s assessment, would hit the meat sector more intensely than other segments of the economy. Sectors with less interconnected processes would, according to him, have more flexibility for adaptations. However, the agribusiness, which involves live animals, slaughter deadlines, and strict supply chains, would have less room to quickly adjust to a sudden change in schedule, which would increase the short-term effect of the transition.
What is at Stake in the Chamber
On the other side of the discussion is the project that is being processed in Congress. The federal government sent on April 14, 2026, under an urgent regime, Bill 1838/2026, which reduces the weekly working hours from 44 to 40 hours, guarantees two consecutive days of rest, and prohibits salary reduction, which, in practice, ends the 6×1 schedule. The Chamber is also working on a proposed constitutional amendment with a similar effect.
According to the agreement between the government and the president of the Chamber, Hugo Motta, the change would be staggered. Within 60 days after promulgation, the worker would already have two days off per week and work 42 hours in up to five days. In 12 months, the workweek would reach 40 hours, configuring the 5×2 schedule. The rapporteur of the proposal is Deputy Leo Prates, from the Republicans of Bahia.
The Other Side of the Debate
Despite the industry’s concerns, the reduction of working hours has strong popular support. Surveys cited by union entities, such as the Unified Workers’ Central, indicate that more than 70% of Brazilians are in favor of ending the 6×1 schedule. For supporters, technological advancement, automation, and historical productivity gains have already made room to reduce working hours without loss of efficiency, as has occurred in other countries.
Another recurring argument is worker health. Brazil is identified as one of the countries with the highest incidence of burnout in the world, and proponents of the proposal argue that a more balanced work environment would bring social benefits, with a decrease in absences and an improvement in quality of life. The discussion, therefore, pits the economic argument of the productive sector against the social argument of workers and part of the government, in a typical impasse of structural changes in labor legislation.
Why the Santa Catarina meat industry weighs in on this debate
The warning from Aurora Coop carries weight because of the importance of the meat sector for Santa Catarina and the South of the country. The state is one of the main Brazilian hubs for poultry and pork production, with a strong concentration in western Santa Catarina, and hosts giants of the sector and a dense network of cooperatives and integrated producers, which sustain the economy of dozens of municipalities.
Therefore, national decisions on working hours have a particularly felt effect in this region, where a good part of formal jobs is precisely in agribusiness. The potential impacts on farms, slaughterhouses, and logistics chains reinforce why business entities have been requesting longer transition periods and sectoral discussions, while unions and the government advocate for the urgency of change in the name of workers’ rights.
The calculation presented by Aurora Coop sheds light on one of the most sensitive points of the debate around the end of the 6×1 schedule: the challenge of adapting large production chains, especially agribusiness, to a 40-hour workweek. On one hand, the largest meat cooperative in Brazil points out risks of reduced production, farm closures, and job losses, while on the other, proponents of the proposal remind of popular support and the historical need to alleviate the workload of Brazilian workers. The final decision will rest with Congress, but its impacts will directly weigh on millions of jobs in the country.
And you, what do you think about the impact of ending the 6×1 schedule and the 40-hour workweek in sectors like meat, which employ thousands of workers? Do you believe that Aurora’s warning is confirmed in practice or do you see the change as a victory that needs to advance? Leave your comment, share your opinion on the topic, and share the article with those who work in the industry, in the field, or closely follow the labor debate in Brazil.
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