Brazil Adopts 40-Hour Workweek, Joining Latin American Trend
As part of a regional trend, Brazil’s lower house approved a constitutional amendment establishing a 40-hour, five-day workweek, a move championed by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. This amendment, popular with the electorate ahead of presidential elections, ends the current 44-hour, six-day workweek without reducing pay for at least 37 million people. While labor rights groups laud the change, the business sector voices strong criticism over potential economic impacts, though businesses are granted 14 months to adapt. The proposal now moves to the upper house for consideration, following similar reforms in Mexico and Chile, while Argentina is considering extending its workweek.
John Q. Hosedrinker