# Brazil cuts working week, giving some workers an extra day off

> Brazil shortens workweek to 40 hours, boosting worker time off ahead of presidential runoff.
- Title: Brazil cuts working week, giving some workers an extra day off
- Summary: Brazil shortens workweek to 40 hours, boosting worker time off ahead of presidential runoff. Brazil's constitutional amendment cuts maximum workweek from 44…
- Keywords: brazil, working week, lula, bolsonaro, presidential runoff, constitutional amendment, 40 hours, 30 million workers, 6x1 schedule, retail workers, restaurant workers, hotel workers
- Source: Dailymail — https://dailymail.com/news/article-16213997/Brazil-working-week-extra-day-Lula-Bolsonaro.html?ito=1490&ns_campaign=1490&ns_mchannel=rss
- Published: 2026-10-16T09:41:10+00:00
- Read time: 3 min
- Topics: brazil, working week, lula, bolsonaro, presidential runoff, constitutional amendment, 40 hours, 30 million workers, 6x1 schedule, retail workers, restaurant workers, hotel workers
## Brazil cuts working week
Brazil has shortened the working week to a maximum of 40 hours, a move that could affect up to 30 million people.
## Constitutional amendment passes
The amendment to Brazil's constitution passed through the country's congress on top of cutting the maximum workweek from 44 to 40 hours, it also bans six-day workweeks which 16 million Brazilians are on.
## Affects low-paid workers
The new rules are expected to largely affect retail, restaurant and hotel workers, most of them being low-paid.
## Political win for Lula
The move will likely hand a political win to Left-wing president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva ahead of the presidential runoff in just nine days.
## Lula lost support in 2022
Lula lost support from this cohort since the 2022 election, where he defeated Jair Bolsonaro.
## Younger Bolsonaro reversed stance
While Lula has long backed the working week amendment, the younger Bolsonaro spent months opposing it before reversing course on Tuesday.
## Lula's social media statement
Lula wrote on social media following the amendment's passage: 'Ending the 6x1 schedule is about more than changing working hours.
## Changes take effect after runoff
Though it has been approved, none of the changes will take effect until well after the October 25 runoff.
## Senate celebrates approval
Senators celebrate the approval of a constitutional amendment bill that would end the 6x1 work schedule, during a voting session on the proposal at the Federal Senate of Brazil.
## Lula campaign event
Brazilian President and re-election candidate Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva holds a sign reading 'for the end of the 6x1 shift schedule' during a campaign event in Fortaleza, Brazil.
## 60-day timeline for change
After the Senate president promulgates the amendment, it will be 60 days before six-day workweeks are abolished.
## Phased reduction to 40 hours
The maximum working week, meanwhile, will go from 44 to 42 hours, then to 40 hours after a further 14 months.
## Worker relief
Despite this, Brazilians appeared to be relieved that these new limits will soon come into effect.
## Lilian's story
Lilian Cristo dos Santos, 50, told The Guardian she only has one day off from her job as a saleswoman in Salvador, Bahia: 'There’s no time to go to the doctor, to the beach, to…
## Poll shows Lula and Bolsonaro tied
A Datafolha poll of voter intentions published Thursday showed the rivals in a statistical tie.
## Bolsonaro leads in polls
It showed Bolsonaro with 51 per cent of the vote, compared to 49 per cent for Lula, which is within the two-percentage-point margin of error.
## Recent polling trends
Last week, the same polling firm had Bolsonaro on 52 per cent and Lula on 48 per cent.
## Bolsonaro leads in another poll
On Wednesday, Quaest polling company also showed Bolsonaro on 51 per cent and Lula on 49 per cent.
## Key takeaway

Brazil's constitutional amendment cuts maximum workweek from 44 to 40 hours, affecting 30 million workers and giving left-wing president Lula a political edge ahead of October 25 runoff.