The president of the Chamber of Deputies, Hugo Motta, said that the Proposed Amendment to the Constitution (PEC) that discusses the end of the 6×1 work schedule should enter the House’s agenda at the beginning of 2026.
According to him, the issue has gained space in the legislative debate and should be addressed by the parties when work resumes.
— The PEC 6×1 has grown in discussion. It’s an agenda that will certainly be at the beginning of the year. The parties will deal with it and we will provide regulatory guidance — said Motta, in an interview with journalists.
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The statement comes amid an internal dispute in Congress over which proposal should advance first. While the Chamber tries to build convergence around alternatives to reduce weekly working hours, the Senate surprised the government by approving, in the Constitution and Justice Commission (CCJ), a more ambitious PEC, which provides for the progressive reduction of working hours to 36 hours per week.
In the Chamber, the most advanced text is the PEC authored by congresswoman Erika Hilton (PSOL-SP), which proposes the end of the 6×1 scale with the adoption of a model of four days of work and three days of rest, maintaining a maximum working day of 36 hours per week.
The proposal seeks to amend the Constitution to allow for a reduction in the weekly working hours, currently organized mainly in the model of six days worked for one day off. The debate has been driven by trade union centrals, left-wing parliamentarians and movements linked to the labor agenda, which defend the adoption of scales such as 5×2, with two days off per week, without salary reduction.
However, in the Special Subcommittee on the 6×1 Scale, the discussion took a less daring path. The rapporteur, deputy Luiz Gastão (PSD-CE), presented an opinion that reduces the maximum working hours from the current 44 to 40 hours per week, without a salary cut. According to him, the immediate adoption of the 36-hour day would be “economically unsustainable” for micro and small companies. Furthermore, it does not extinguish the 6×1 scale.
The report foresees a gradual transition over three years, with a progressive reduction in working hours, in addition to restrictions on weekend work and compensation measures, such as the reduction of payroll taxes for sectors with a heavy weight of remuneration in revenue. After criticism, deputies asked for a review and there is no set date for a new analysis. The president of the Working Committee, deputy Leo Prates (PDT-BA), stated that he could present a replacement if there is consensus.
Meanwhile, in the Senate, the CCJ approved by symbolic vote the PEC reported by senator Rogério Carvalho (PT-SE), authored by senator Paulo Paim (PT-RS). The text reduces working hours by one hour per year until reaching 36 hours per week, establishes a limit of five days worked per week, guarantees two consecutive days off — preferably on weekends — and maintains the ceiling of eight hours per day.
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The approval led the government to reevaluate its strategy. According to the Minister of the General Secretariat of the Presidency, Guilherme Boulos, Planalto will support the text that has the greatest chance of being processed.
— The government’s position is to approve the fastest way to end the 6×1 scale. If the Senate is the fastest, we’ll go with it,” he said.
