Minister defends reduction in working hours, cites popular support and says that Flávio Bolsonaro “is not moderate” when talking about the elections
The minister of the General Secretariat of the Presidency, (Psol-SP), stated this Tuesday (17.mar.2026) that the government (PT) will work to approve the central theme of his interview with , in the program Good morning, Minister. According to him, the proposal establishes a working day of up to 40 hours per week, 2 days off and maintenance of salaries. “This project could be called the Brazilian family project”he declared. “We’re talking about more time with family.”
Boulos said the change responds to worker burnout. “What is the family life that a worker who spends 6 days at work and 1 day at home can have?”he questioned. He also stated that “the Brazilian worker is exhausted” and cited an increase in absences due to burnout. For the minister, it makes no sense to maintain the same journey since 1988. “You’ve had so many advances in technology and productivity. Why do workers still need to work at the same time?”
When dealing with resistance to the proposal, Boulos criticized businesspeople. “Every time you talk about rights for workers, you will get a reaction from big businessmen, bankers, upstairs”he said. According to him, there is a “ongoing operation against the end of 6 X 1” to avoid voting. “The thing is not to vote”he stated, when describing the strategy he attributes to these groups.
The minister declared that, if Congress delays the process, Lula will be able to send a project on an urgent basis. “It’s one thing to respect the Legislative’s procedures, it’s another thing to allow nonsense”he said. According to him, the proposal would include “end of 6 X 1, maximum 5 X 2, reduction of working hours from 44 to 40 hours, without salary reduction”.
Rebutting criticism from the production sector, he stated that the change is viable. “A rested worker is more productive. That’s logical”he declared. He also said that the change does not prevent activities from operating on weekends. “No one is saying they will close on Saturday and Sunday. They will have to reorganize the schedule.” According to a survey by , 71% of Brazilians are in favor of ending the 6 X 1 scale.
Another topic of the interview was the regulation of work through applications. Boulos declared that the government does not intend to create taxes or restrict activity. “No one wants to charge taxes. There will be no tax charged”he said. According to him, the proposal seeks to limit platform retention to 30%. “Uber takes up to 50% of a trip. Is that fair?”he questioned.
For delivery people, he defended an increase in the minimum value per delivery. “Today iFood pays R$7.50 for up to 4 km. The demand is to go to R$10. It’s fair”he stated. He also said that the project determines insurance, sickness benefit and annual correction of values. “What will this project guarantee? Decent work. The rest is a lie.”
The minister linked the end of the 6 X 1 scale to the debate with evangelical sectors. “We are defending the measure that is the Brazilian family bill”he declared. He also stated that Christian values are associated with solidarity. “I’m a Christian. What is Christian value? Is it defending guns, shootings and bombs? Is it defending feminicide?”he questioned. “Christian value is love for others, it is sharing”these.
LULA
When talking about , Boulos minimized surveys that show the growth of the senator (PL-RJ) and made direct criticisms of Lula’s possible opponent. “Flávio Bolsonaro wants it to be more fake than a 3 real note”he stated. “Moderate? The guy who hung out with the militia in Rio de Janeiro? The guy who had Queiroz as his chief of staff? The guy who had the head of the crime office, Adriano da Nóbrega, his family all employed in Flávio Bolsonaro’s office? The guy who went on social media to defend that Trump had to bomb Brazil? Is this the moderate?”
