The acting President of the Republic, Geraldo Alckmin, reinforced this Monday (20) that he is in favor of ending the 6×1 scale, but that each sector must have its specificities respected. The statement came after a visit in Cubatão to the facilities of the Unipar Carbocloro factory, which became the largest producer of membrane chlorine in South America after receiving investments of more than R$1 billion.
“It is natural for there to be a reduction in working hours. This needs to be debated, it needs to be discussed, the government supports [o fim da 6×1]. And there is a need to analyze the specificities, because not everyone has the same logic”, he said, according to G1.
Alckmin’s argument is that recent technological advances, such as artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics, allow for a new model of working hours. “This applies to agriculture, where you mechanize a lot in agriculture, this applies to industry, automation, robots, even services, medicine. If you take radiology, tomography, resonance, there will be a lot of reading by robot, by artificial intelligence. So it is natural that there will be a reduction in the working day”, he said.
Last week, the Lula government sent the bill to the National Congress that provides for the end of the 6×1 scale and the reduction of the maximum weekly working hours from 44 to 40 hours. The proposal was forwarded with constitutional urgency.
In practice, this leads to the adoption of the 5×2 model, five days of work and two days of rest, replacing the current logic of the 6×1 scale in parts of the economic sectors, such as commerce and services. The proposal maintains the possibility of different scales, such as the 12×36 model, as long as the limit of 40 hours per week is respected. It also provides that adjustments can be made through collective agreements and conventions.
The option to include a 40-hour limit on all devices, in addition to the mandatory two days of rest, was based on a study by the Ministry of Labor. Data cited by the government indicate that around 14 million Brazilians currently work on a 6×1 scale, while approximately 37 million work hours longer than 40 hours per week.
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Mercosur-EU Agreement
During the visit, the acting president commented on the Mercosur-European Union agreement, which provisionally comes into force on May 1st. For him, the understanding between the blocs highlights progress in a global scenario of protectionist measures.
“Close to 500 Brazilian products that we export to the European Union have zero taxes. And others will have a reduction over the years. So we will be able to sell more”, he said.
This week, President Lula is on a trip to Europe, which includes agendas in Spain, Germany and Portugal. According to Alckmin, the PT member’s trip will serve to open new markets for Brazilian products.
