Articles · Labor
The end of the 6x1 schedule is now a reality
The Senate approved PEC 221/2019, which reduces the working week to 40 hours and guarantees two days of paid weekly rest.
The Brazilian Senate approved Proposed Constitutional Amendment (PEC) 221/2019 in two rounds of voting (75 votes to 1). The proposal guarantees a reduction of the working week to 40 hours and the right to two days of paid weekly rest, with no reduction in pay.
What happens now
As a Proposed Constitutional Amendment approved by both houses of Congress, the text does not require the President's signature and goes directly to promulgation by the National Congress. Once published, implementation will follow a transition schedule:
- In two months, two days of weekly rest become mandatory and the maximum working week becomes 42 hours.
- In one year and two months, the maximum working week falls definitively to 40 hours.
The questions every operation needs to answer
- If the operation ran at the 44-hour limit, how can shifts be covered without compromising productivity?
- How will the two days of rest be distributed: weekends or continuous rotation?
- Existing time-bank (banco de horas) and compensation agreements will need to be fully reviewed.
The path is not simple, but it is logical: collective bargaining with the unions. The key to avoiding liabilities and operational bottlenecks lies in engaging in social dialogue early. It is time to use collective agreements to design transition rules that protect both the business and the workers, respect constitutional limits and ensure productivity.
Originally published in Portuguese on Diego Amâncio Dias's LinkedIn.