Brazil Senate Approves 40-Hour Workweek in Historic Vote Ahead of Runoff
Brazil’s Senate approved a constitutional amendment on Wednesday to reduce the country’s maximum workweek from 44 to 40 hours without a salary cut, an initiative backed by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva ahead of the October 25 presidential runoff.
Senate Passes Shorter Workweek Measure
The measure passed the Senate in two rounds of voting with identical results of 75 to 1 out of 81 members. The sole vote against the amendment came from former Vice President Hamilton Mourao, who served under former President Jair Bolsonaro. Flávio Bolsonaro, who opposed the initiative until early in the week, voted for it remotely while campaigning in southern Brazil. Analysts and politicians noted that his allies in the Senate stopped blocking the popular measure to prevent damage to his neck-to-neck race against Lula.
President Lula is expected to sign the shorter workweek into law next week. The constitutional amendment establishes a 40-hour weekly limit and two rest days without reducing pay, a change the government estimates will benefit more than 37 million workers. The reform gives businesses 14 months to adopt the new schedule, a compromise reached after many business leaders and lawmakers pushed for a gradual transition over 10 years.
“Today is a day to celebrate a historic achievement for millions of workers,” Lula said in a statement. “This means having more time to live, rest, be with family, watch your children grow up, take care of yourself, and enjoy life. Those who work so hard to build Brazil also deserve to have time to live.”
Diverging Reactions Across The Political Spectrum
The legislative victory followed weeks of pro-Lula protests across the country, with supporters gathering in the streets of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo to celebrate the Senate’s decision. “We needed the people out on the streets,” said Lunna Normande, 23, during a protest with hundreds of people in Rio. “We will continue to be on the streets until this inhumane work week ends.”
Conversely, many Bolsonaro allies expressed concern that the new schedule would increase the cost of living. Just days prior to the vote, Bolsonaro changed his mind regarding the proposal despite having opposed it for a long time, even though he had finished 2.2 million votes ahead of Lula in the first-round election. He had previously advocated for a more flexible payment-by-the-hour regime and individual negotiations between employees and employers, repeatedly calling the legislation election-motivated. According to local newspaper O Globo, Bolsonaro told business owners shortly after announcing his support that the new Congress—where his party could reach a simple majority with allied parties in February—could review the measure.
Carla Beni, an economist at the Getulio Vargas Foundation, noted the timing of the legislation. “Any change made in an election year can be considered an electoral measure,” Beni said.
Beyond the workweek reduction, Lula has implemented several measures to shore up support before the runoff, including fuel tax cuts, extended subsidies, a pledge to pardon debts of more than 3.6 million small businesses with the federal government, a decision to block cellphone signals around prisons, and a boost in payments for a university student welfare program. At the same time, the upcoming legislation will have no impact on individuals engaged in the shadow economy, such as delivery drivers and freelancers.
Regional Momentum And The Broader Latin American Shift
The legislative push in Brazil reflects a trend across Latin America. Neighboring countries have recently enacted landmark legislation to shorten their workweeks, emboldening Brazilian labor groups to seek similar reforms. In 2023, Chile passed the 40-Hour Law, which reduced its workweek to 40 hours under the country’s Labor Code without reducing pay. In February, Mexican lawmakers approved a proposal by President Claudia Sheinbaum to trim the 48-hour workweek, establishing a gradual transition to a 40-hour limit by 2030. Colombia has also enacted legislation to reduce its workweek to 42 hours.
However, Argentina has bucked the regional trend under President Javier Milei, where authorities may instead extend the existing 48-hour workweek.