The government’s leadership believes that the president () will have a political victory with the discussion about the end of the six-day work shift for one rest day, even if the project is not approved by Congress.
The government’s analysis is that the proposal must be approved in the Chamber with the President of the House, (-PB), and that there will be political wear and tear for anyone who opposes the project. There is doubt about the future of the project in , where businesspeople and the opposition are trying to stop the progress of the text.
Lula plans to have the end of as a hallmark of his government and make the issue one of the main issues in his re-election campaign. The president and those around him want the proposal approved as quickly as possible. The assessment at the top of the government is that there is a majority of public opinion in favor of the agenda, and that this opportunity to implement an idea dear to the political left cannot be missed.
Lula’s allies assess, however, that even if the PT member is defeated in a vote on the matter in Congress, the debate on the end of the 6×1 scale has already given a political victory to the President of the Republic.
The reasoning is that the PT member managed to incorporate a left-wing agenda into his speech that has broad social support. As Datafolha research released in March showed, .
If he is defeated in the Congressional votes on the issue, Lula will be able to say in the electoral campaign that he defends the workers and his opponents, no. It would be a way for the PT member to reinforce what he is preparing for the electoral dispute.
Furthermore, as there is a large majority of the population in favor of reducing working hours, congressmen who oppose the project tend to suffer from public opinion. This situation should inhibit opposing votes in the discussions, in the opinion of the government’s political organizers.
The way the president of the Senate, Davi Alcolumbre (União Brasil-AP), will deal with the text is unpredictable. The relationship between the head of the Legislature and Planalto has been bad since Jorge Messias’ rejection of the STF (Supreme Federal Court), in April.
So far, Alcolumbre has kept a secret about how he will deal with the end of the 6×1 scale when it reaches the Senate. The Chamber is expected to approve the text this Thursday (28). As shown by Sheetbusinesspeople approached the head of the Legislature in search of changes, mainly regarding the transition period for reducing working hours.
The head of government and several of his allies demonstrate, behind the scenes, discomfort with the fact that the Executive’s social programs have not been enough to boost Lula’s popularity. The assessment is that the electorate already sees benefits such as Bolsa Família as guaranteed regardless of the PT government.
The end of the 6×1 scale fits into an idea fed by the president, that it is necessary to embrace proposals that go beyond social programs, presenting the electorate with something different from what is already expected from PT administrations.
Government officials foresee wear and tear especially in relation to senators, who need votes from a broad public in their states to be re-elected. Two-thirds of the Senate seats will be up for grabs in October.
This Monday (25), Lula met with Hugo Motta to discuss the progress of the PEC (proposed amendment to the Constitution) on the topic. After the conversation, he announced an agreement to journalists alongside the ministers (Institutional Relations) and (Labour), both from the PT.
The proposal provides for the end of the six-day working day with one rest day, establishing two days off per week, within 60 days of the enactment of the PEC. During this period, the weekly working limit will also increase from 44 hours to 42 hours.
The proposal should also determine a new reduction in weekly working hours, from 42 hours to 40 hours, 12 months later. The government’s intention was for the project to come into force with a transition that would last a maximum of a few months, but it accepted a gradual entry into force of the project to facilitate the process.
