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Changes in Labor Legislation in 2025: MTE Announces New Rules for Work on Sundays and Holidays That May Impact Thousands of Workers, Check it Out!
Starting July 1, 2025, the new rule for work on Sundays and holidays will come into effect with the issuance of a decree by the Ministry of Labor and Employment (MTE) that regulates activities in the commerce and services sectors. In this article, we will detail the new rules for working on Sundays and the main changes in labor legislation.
Main Changes in Labor Legislation in 2025
The commerce and services sectors, such as supermarkets, pharmacies, and general retail are the most impacted by the new rules for work on Sundays and holidays.
The new approach changed the previous regulation, revoking some items from the Annex IV of MTE Ordinance No. 671/2021, which dealt with activities authorized to operate on these days without the need for temporary authorization.
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Now, several categories will require negotiations between employers and workers’ representatives. Otherwise, companies must pay the legal benefits for those who work on Sundays and holidays.
According to Lucas Lobo, lawyer and partner at the labor law department of Valença & Associados, companies operating on these days, under the new rules for work on Sundays and holidays, must pay double or provide compensation for hours worked, no longer being able to consider those days as regular workdays. To avoid paying double, this can only be done through collective negotiation with workers’ unions.
Companies Will Be Fined for Not Implementing Changes
The ordinance prior to the new rules for work on Sundays and holidays allowed several categories to operate on these dates without an agreement or collective labor convention.
The new approach revoked this exception. According to lawyer Beatriz Tilkian, partner at the labor law department of Gaia Silva Gaede Advogados, Ordinance 671/2021 directly contradicted Article 6-A of Law No. 10,101 by failing to require a collective agreement for operations on holidays, thus exceeding legal limits for the extension of ordinances.
Thus, changes in labor legislation are not aimed at essential sectors. The major change is for retail, which will need union assistance to operate on holidays.
Companies that do not comply with the new rules for work on Sundays and holidays and do not pay double or compensate for hours worked may be fined and penalized by labor inspection.
Check Below Which Categories Are Included in the New Rules
Categories that will need collective negotiation for work on Sundays and holidays:
- Fishmongers;
- Shops in hotels;
- Markets, supermarkets, hypermarkets, wholesalers, and similar;
- Butcher shops;
- Establishments at airports, ports, roads, bus stations, and railways;
- Slaughterhouses;
- General trading and retail in general;
- Fruit and vegetable shops and similar;
- Car, truck, and tractor dealerships;
- Pharmacies.
- Categories that will not need to adhere to the changes in labor legislation:
- Florists;
- Bicycle rentals and similar;
- Restaurants, bars, boarding houses, cafes, and ice cream shops;
- Beauty salons and barbershops;
- Street fairs;
- Leisure establishments (including sports facilities where admission is charged);
- Hotels;
- Gas stations and automotive accessories stores;
- laundries;
- Bakeries, confectioneries, and cookie stores;
- Travel agencies and establishments aimed at tourism.
It is worth mentioning that the main objective of these new rules for work on Sundays and holidays is to ensure that workers’ rights are protected.
The new approach aims to create a balance between the operational needs of companies and the rights of employees, ensuring that work on rest days is adequately compensated.
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