Brazil’s congress has approved a constitutional amendment to shorten the working week to a maximum of 40 hours, a move that could affect 30 million workers and that will hand a political victory to the leftist president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva ahead of the presidential runoff.
The amendment bans six-day workweeks, currently worked by 16 million people, while cutting the maximum workweek from 44 to 40 hours for more than 30 million workers. The change is expected to affect mainly workers in retail, restaurants and hotels, most of them low-paid – one of the groups which Lula lost the most support from since the 2022 election, when he defeated Jair Bolsonaro.
Bolsonaro initially opposed the change but reversed course, joining 75 senators who approved the reform. Only one senator voted against it: Hamilton Mourão, former vice-president to Jair Bolsonaro, Flávio’s father. The amendment was supported by more than 70% of the general population and more than half of the senator’s voters. The proposal began as a TikTok movement called Life Beyond Work, founded by a pharmacy assistant who entered politics after its success and later was embraced by Lula. His party spent months pushing the senate to put the proposal to a vote.
Why it matters
The amendment strengthens Lula’s position ahead of the runoff by addressing concerns of low-paid workers who previously lost support.
This section reflects Dumpling editorial interpretation and is provided for context only.
What to watch
Bolsonaro’s potential review of parts of the amendment if he is elected president.
This section reflects Dumpling editorial interpretation and is provided for context only.