Brazil’s Senate is preparing to debate a constitutional amendment that would cut the standard workweek from 44 to 40 hours, preserve pay and guarantee two days of rest. But the timetable — and whether a vote can occur before the October 25 presidential runoff — has become as politically charged as the substance of the proposal.

Government allies want the measure advanced before the runoff, hoping to make the vote a clear dividing line in President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s contest with Flávio Bolsonaro. Lula said his rival would have to decide whether to direct his party’s senators to support ending the 6x1 schedule, adding: “We will see who wants the people to have a more dignified life.”¹ The government has also signaled it wants voters to know how each senator stands.²

Senate President Davi Alcolumbre has sought to frame the process as a matter of procedure rather than a predetermined outcome. He said the chamber would “fully comply with the constitutional procedure,” requiring five discussion sessions before a first-round vote and three more before a second round.³ Under the regular schedule, he indicated a first-round vote could come the following week.

Accounts of the timetable nonetheless differ. One report said Alcolumbre had confirmed that the proposal would go to a vote before the runoff, while emphasizing that lawmakers must be free to vote according to their convictions.⁴ Another said he promised discussion sessions but did not set a voting date, leaving open the possibility that opposition efforts could prevent a quorum.²

Alcolumbre has said acceleration remains possible if senators submit requests for a special calendar or to waive the interval between stages; he would put such requests to the chamber, where “the will of the majority will prevail.”³ Critics, including business-sector groups, argue that the amendment’s effects on companies, workers and inflation should be assessed after the election rather than amid campaign pressure.²

The dispute is also shaped by the Senate’s changing balance of power. Right and center-right parties are expected to hold nearly 50 of 81 seats from 2027, while the Liberal Party is projected to become the largest bloc — a prospect that adds strategic weight to a vote being considered now.⁴