Planalto decides to send constitutional urgency before Labor Day and keep the final word on the text
The government of (PT) decided to send its own PL (bill) to Congress to end the 6 X 1 scale and reduce the weekly working day to 40 hours. The text will have constitutional urgency. Shipping will be in the next few days, before Labor Day (May 1st).
The text must unify the different proposals being processed in the Chamber and the Senate. The model headed will be 5 x 2, with a maximum working day of 40 hours per week, without salary reduction. The prospect of a transition rule is still open.
The choice for the bill reflects Planalto’s change in strategy given the risk of the PEC stalling in Congress throughout April. The alternative allows you to speed up processing and preserve greater control over the content of the text.
A provisional measure was proposed and set aside. Planalto understands that the bill tends to have more political support and, at the same time, guarantees the Executive the possibility of sanctioning or vetoing the final text — which would not be the case with an amendment to the Constitution.
Furthermore, as not amends the Constitution, reduces the quorum requirement and facilitates approval. A simple majority is enough, different from the 3/5 required for a PEC.
The urgency mechanism also imposes an analysis period of up to 45 days in the Chamber and Senate and can block other votes. This puts pressure on deputies and senators to take a position before the elections.
The movement seeks to circumvent the path defended by the president of the Chamber, Hugo Motta (Republicanos-PB), who has prioritized the advancement of the issue through PEC 221 of 2019. The proposal is reported and articulated by him. It works as a base text and brings together other initiatives on reducing working hours, such as the PEC presented by deputy Erika Hilton (Psol).
The PEC’s path is longer: it goes through the CCJ (Constitution and Justice Commission), then through a special commission and only then goes to the plenary. The stage at the CCJ is considered sensitive by Planalto, as it leaves room for a lack of quorum.
The movement gains traction with the electoral calendar and the attempt to avoid obstruction in Congress, where center and right-wing parties resist the change in the day.
EYE ON THE ELECTIONS
The end of the 6 x 1 scale was listed as one of the president’s priorities and will be one of the banners of his campaign.
The minister (Psol) the proposal to “Brazilian family project” and asked: “What is the family life that a worker who spends 6 days at work and 1 day at home can have?”.
Datafolha survey that 71% of Brazilians are in favor of ending the 6 X 1 scale. The data is used by allies as an argument to pressure Congress.
The presidents of PL, Valdemar Costa Neto, and União Brasil, Antônio Rueda, are working to prevent the proposal from reaching the plenary before the elections. For them, the text has a great chance of being approved as an electoral measure by congressmen who will seek re-election.
In March, the Minister of Labor, Luiz Marinho, said that the government did not want to send the PL urgently, following Motta’s consideration, who preferred to preserve the Legislative’s leading role.
To avoid raids, Lula must also consult the president of the Chamber before formalizing the sending.
Here are the proposals on the end of the 6 X 1 scale in progress:
- PEC 8 of 2025 (Chamber)
- Author: Erika Hilton;
- 36-hour working week;
- 4×3 model (4 days of work, 3 days of rest).
- PEC 221 of 2019 (Chamber)
- Author: Reginaldo Lopes;
- It deals with reduction of working hours;
- It works as a base proposal (with other PECs attached).
- PL 67 of 2025 (Chamber)
- Author: Daiana Santos;
- Reduces working hours from 44 hours to 40 hours per week;
- More gradual approach.
- PEC 148 of 2015 (Senate)
- Author: Paulo Paim;
- Progressive reduction of working hours;
- From 44h to 40h and then 36h per week.
