Understand the debate about the 6 x1 scale

Is under discussion at the National Congress to Reduction of the maximum working dayno cut of salaries. Currently, the Constitution foresees the limit of 44 hours per week with a day of rest, which is known as 6 × 1 scale. A proposal for amendment to the Constitution (PEC) intends to change the rule for up to 36 hours per week. The discussion is permeated by arguments that oscillate between worker health and the country’s wealth generation. After all, working less for the same salary is a breakthrough for society or a risk to the economy?

Social movements claim that the current six -day working regime for a rest causes workers’ physical and mental exhaustion, affecting the quality of life. In parallel, studies evaluate the economic impact of the measure, which could reduce Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by up to 16%, according to the Minas Gerais Federation of Industries (FIEMG). Other analyzes, such as the Getulio Vargas Foundation (FGV), point out between 3.8% to 11.3%. In addition to the drop in GDP, studies estimate possible employment losses and increased informality.

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Complex question

For the FIA ​​Business School teacher Rodolfo Olivo, there is a “gigantic complexity” involving the country’s wealth production, which makes the analysis of the impact of the measure something that needs to be placed in perspective.

“There is a huge complexity of types of companies and work regimes. And, in addition, 40% of the Brazilian population is informal. Although the formal market influences the informal market, for 40% of workers the effects of reducing the journey will not apply immediately,” he says.

Jackson Teixeira Bittencourt, coordinator of the Economics course at the Pontifical Catholic University of Paraná (PUCPR), points out that the change of journey can increase companies’ costs, which will have to hire more people to do the same service if productivity is not stable with the same hours of work.

For him, psychiatric issues involving work are not directly linked to the journey, as the defenders of the measure argue. “Mental health pressure is throughout the job market. It is linked to economic activity, the type of company in which you work,” he says. Thus, reducing the journey could not bring the expected impact on quality of life.

Non -GDP Impact

A study by Fernando de Holanda Barbosa Filho, a researcher at the Brazilian Institute of Economics (IBRE) of FGV, says that the reduction of journey with the maintenance of salaries could lead to reducing per capita income, loss in salaries, closing companies and vacancies.

In the economist’s estimates, the impact of the measure could lead to a reduction in GDP between 3.8% and 11.3%, depending on the scenario analyzed. He ponders that losses could be minimized with increased productivity, which is stagnant. “If productivity continues as it is over time, it won’t compensate for these losses,” he says.

Another analysis by FIEMG estimates that Brazil may have a 16% loss in GDP if it has no productivity gain, which represents a drop of R $ 2.9 trillion in the revenue of the productive sectors.

And raising productivity in the country is complex. The country would need to face challenges such as improving logistics infrastructure, reducing high tax burden, regulatory complexity and legal insecurity, improving technological level and giving more education and professional qualification, the study points out. Thus, it would not be enough for the worker to “yield more” per hour of work.

“The point is that there will be no productivity gain. Expecting this impact will be fully passed on to prices… Perhaps large company can cushion cost and pass on the final price, but Brazil has over 80% of small and medium enterprises. They would not be able to absorb this cost,” says João Gabriel Pio, Fiemg chief economist.

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And the health of the worker?

The debate on the working day and worker health has been intensifying. In 2024, the number of work removal from mental disorders in Brazil reached 472,328 licenses, a growth of 400% from the pandemic.

For the Life Movement Beyond Work (VAT), the working day is linked to the exhaustion of the worker. João Victor Félix, Vat’s national coordinator, explains that the group fights for the end of the 6 × 1 scale because it is traced in the Constitution, but there are other work regimes that also impact workers’ health.

“We use the“ 6 × 1 ”scale nomenclature precisely because it exists in the Constitution and understanding that it is exaggerated. But we know it has 5 × 2, 4 × 3, there are 10 × 1, 15 × 1 workers, we received these allegations from companies that exercise this attitude,” he explains.

“People need to be alive to generate the economy. The rested worker has time to be able to circulate in other spaces, to live other roles, such as mother, father, and consumer. Those who have only one day off cannot take care of themselves, have to unfold to perform all their functions,” says Felix.

The idea of ​​working less for the same salary usually attracts the working class. A public petition made by Vat about the end of the 6 × 1 scale has already collected almost 3 million signatures. A Datafolha survey released in December last year pointed out that 64% of Brazilians advocate the end of the 6 × 1 and 82% scale say the ideal daily journey is 8 hours of work.

Alternatives for companies

For Eliane Aere, president of the Brazilian Association of Human Resources in São Paulo (ABRH-SP) and CEO of UMANNI, reducing the workday without reducing wages is a measure that places the well-being of the worker in the center of the agenda. “In practice, what we see in companies is that an emotionally balanced collaborator, with time to rest, think and live, is also more creative, engaged and productive. That is, there are gains that go beyond hourly productivity-it is a new model of human energy management,” he says.

Seeking these results, some companies already adopt more flexible scales, such as 4 × 1, or reduced times on a few days of the week. “HR and people management areas have a key role here. They can map journeys, listen to employees, redesign positions and create indicators that value not only delivery, but also the employee’s experience,” he says.

Raphael Henrique, regional manager for Latin America of the Top Employers Institute, which analyzes human resources practices, states that in addition to the proposal under Congress, the subject of the working day has gained prominence in the corporate world due to broad changes in labor relations.

Companies certified by the Institute usually balance organizational performance and well-being of employees. “For many companies, investing in the quality of the employee’s experience is also a business decision – with positive impacts that go beyond individual satisfaction and reflect on the health and performance of the organization as a whole.”

Transitional Challenge

For Ludymilla Pimenta, teacher of work organizational psychology and a specialist in the future of work, says that the reduction of hours must be accompanied by change in the way work is organized. In addition, says Pimenta, the debate goes through the type of society to be built.

“Reducing the journey to those on the end – services, service, factory floor – is, more than viable, a matter of social justice and rebalancing of labor relations. The impact on GDP exists, but we cannot do this account just looking at the gross production of hours,” he says.

For Olivo, the output is a gradual implementation, with impact analysis by sector. “The debate on scale reduction is already taking place worldwide, and we will not be able to escape it,” he says.

The president of ABRH-SP, Eliane Aere, says that the impact on GDP will depend on how the measure will be implemented and the level of preparation of organizations and productive sectors. “If we consider qualification policies, technological innovation, process reorganization and responsible automation, the impact can be neutral – and even positive in the medium term. The challenge is to make the transition strategically, unapproved. Costs exist, but there is also the cost of inertia,” he says.

The Ministry of Labor and Employment (MTE) stated, in a statement, that it has been following the debate, which requires “an in -depth and detailed discussion.” “The folder considers that the reduction of the 44 -hour weekly journey is fully possible and healthy in the face of a collective decision.” For the MTE, the issue should be dealt with in collective conventions and work agreements.