Brazil approves 40-hour working week with no loss of pay

Brazil’s Congress has approved a constitutional amendment that will reduce the working week from 44 to 40 hours and give employees two days off each week, without cutting their pay.

The Senate backed the measure by 75 votes to one on 14 October, following approval by the lower house in May. Championed by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, it also won support from his presidential run-off rival, Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, who had previously opposed it.

The shorter week will arrive in stages. Weekly hours will first fall to 42 after a two-month grace period, before dropping to 40 at a later stage.

Supporters argue that extra rest could help workers be more productive. Critics, including business groups, warn that higher costs could feed through to consumer prices or threaten jobs.

For Luciana de Almeida, a 36-year-old supermarket cashier in Rio de Janeiro, the potential benefit is personal. The single mother works six days a week and told BBC Brasil that household chores usually fill her one day off, leaving little time with her three children. She said she needs time with her daughters, opportunities for leisure and a chance simply to rest at home.