Federal deputies Reginaldo Lopes (PT-MG) and José Medeiros (PL-MT) debated, in the CNN Arena (Monday to Friday, 6pm) this Monday (11), whether reducing working hours is viable in Brazil.
Federal deputy Erika Hilton (PSOL-SP) has been collecting signatures to register one — that is, one day off every six days of work. The proposal is for the working day to increase from 44 hours to 36 hours per week.
When defending the reduction, Lopes said “that Brazil is experiencing a technological revolution, the world is experiencing a technological revolution”. “I think the time has come for these gains to be shared with workers.”
For him, this is a win-win policy, citing the reduction of working hours to 4×3 — four days on and three days off — and the experience of companies that have already adopted it. “The companies that participated gained more competitiveness, more productivity with their workers. Therefore, I am in favor of the reduction to share these gains with the Brazilian people, with Brazilian workers”.
Medeiros, in turn, takes a stand against the ban on 6×1 working hours, remembering that, in the labor reform, Congress discussed the “possibility of having consensus, of having the greatest possible freedom in the workplace”. “And our concern is when the State gets involved, forcing us”.
According to him, his concern is “with employment” and that there be “a broad discussion in which the State does not impose”. “If we, suddenly, start imposing forceps measures, it is very dangerous that, deep down, we harm those who seek to improve their lives, improve their situation, which is the worker”, he added, speaking of the fear of cuts in salary due to the reduction in hours worked.
