Brazil was set to join other Latin American countries that have shortened working hours as the lower house approved a constitutional amendment Wednesday establishing a 40-hour, five-day workweek.
The proposal is widely popular in Brazil ahead of presidential elections in October, and President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva sponsored the move and has repeatedly promoted it. The amendment is also part of a push within the region has been lauded by labor rights groups but highly criticized by the business sector.
Currently, Brazilians work five eight-hour days and four hours on a sixth day for 44 hours total. The amendment ends the six-day workweek without reducing pay for at least 37 million people and establishes a 40-hour weekly work limit. It guarantees two consecutive 24-hour rest days each week, preferably Saturdays and Sundays.
“People who have this workweek from Monday to Saturday are the ones that have to work the hardest and are paid the least,” lawmaker Paulo Pimenta, Brazil’s government whip in the lower house, told his peers as they voted. “We need to be brave and do justice.”
Many opposition lawmakers voted for it after months of pressure from their constituents, but some continued to criticize the initiative.
