The Minister of Labor and Employment, Luiz Marinho, defended this Wednesday the advancement of the reduction of working hours in Brazil, with support for the end of the 6×1 scale and the adoption of a 40-hour weekly workload. During a hearing at the Chamber’s Labor Committee, he stated, however, that care must be taken in the way changes are implemented so as not to harm the functioning of the economy.
According to Marinho, the government is in favor of reducing working hours and recognizes the “cry” of workers for changes to the current model. He highlighted that the proposal to reduce working hours is not new and that historically labor advances have faced resistance similar to that of today.
— This is the debate that is happening in Brazil, it is a qualified debate, about the need to change the work schedule. When we reduced the working day from 48 hours to 44 hours a week, many of the arguments we are hearing now that this will generate informality, which could generate unemployment, problems in the economy, we heard all of this. What improved was the working condition, work environment, productivity — he stated.
Despite the support, the minister considered broader proposals, such as the immediate reduction to 36 hours a week. According to him, the government’s position is to prioritize a 40-hour model, with two days of rest, allowing adjustments through collective negotiation according to the specificities of each sector.
— Depending on what is written, we could compromise economic activity. We cannot restrict economic activities. We need to ensure that the economy continues to function well,” he said.
Marinho highlighted that there are sectors that operate seven days a week and that, therefore, legislation needs to provide for flexibility. For him, the way forward is to move forward in reducing working hours gradually and with dialogue between workers and employers.
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In addition to the day, Marinho asked for priority to regulate work through applications, another topic considered central by the government. He defended the approval of projects on the subject and criticized the current model.
During the hearing, the minister also commented on the government’s strategy for processing proposals in Congress and signaled his preference for taking advantage of initiatives already under analysis in the Chamber.
— President Hugo Motta considers that we do not forward the PL urgently as there is a PL being processed in parliament’s initiative house, we want to honor parliament, it is not part of the government’s natural desire to forward a PL urgently, it will do so if necessary — he said. — But we would like not to. I think this is a consideration, but it depends on you talking to President Hugo Motta and seeing the PL ritual here because it is much more simplified,” he added.
