40 hours and two days off: a historic victory and a new agenda for the labor movement
Promulgated by Congress, the PEC reducing working hours places the relationship between work and quality of life at the center of the country's future
TL;DR
- Brazil's Senate approved a constitutional amendment (PEC 221/2019) reducing the maximum work week from 44 to 40 hours without salary reduction.
- The amendment also ensures two days of paid weekly rest, moving away from the 6x1 shift system towards a five-day work week with two days off.
- This achievement is the culmination of decades of struggle by the labor movement, supported by recent social mobilization, especially from youth.
- The transition will occur in stages: after 60 days of promulgation, the maximum will be 42 hours, and after 12 months, it will drop to 40 hours.
- The implementation requires extensive collective bargaining, regulatory oversight, and adaptation to new technologies to ensure the law's effectiveness and prevent exploitation.
- Unions are tasked with monitoring compliance, negotiating sector-specific details, and ensuring that productivity gains translate into better wages, conditions, and more time for life outside of work.