BRASÍLIA — Brazil’s Senate approved a constitutional amendment cutting the standard workweek from 44 hours to 40 and guaranteeing two days off without cutting pay, a major labour win for President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva less than two weeks before the Oct. 25 runoff, BBC News and DW reported.
Senators passed the measure 75–1 after the Chamber of Deputies backed it in May. The government says more than 30 million workers could benefit; one survey found nearly 70% of Brazilians support ending the six-day “6×1” schedule. Lula is expected to sign it next week.
Rival Flávio Bolsonaro, who leads Lula after the first round 47% to 45.2%, reversed his opposition and voted yes, saying most workers want the change — a shift Lula called “electoral opportunism.” BBC News said it is the biggest workers’-rights overhaul since Brazil’s 1988 return to democracy.
“It means more time to live, rest, be with family,” Lula wrote on social media. Businesses warn of higher costs, and freelancers and delivery workers in the informal economy remain largely outside the reform, DW noted.
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