Brazil Senate votes to cut standard workweek to five days

Brazil's Senate has approved a constitutional amendment that cuts the national workweek from six days down to five, handing President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva a significant political victory shortly before the upcoming presidential runoff election.

The reform passed the upper chamber on Wednesday with cross-party support through two mandatory rounds of voting. Lawmakers across the political divide endorsed the measure, including conservative Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, who is Lula's direct rival in the pending presidential runoff and had formerly resisted the legislation.

Under the newly approved constitutional amendment, weekly formal labor limits will drop from 44 hours to 40 hours. The adjustment is set to phase out the widespread six-day working schedules commonly imposed in retail and other service industries. Observers view the reform as the most extensive overhaul of the country's employment protections in several decades.

According to government figures, the policy is expected to impact over 37 million officially registered workers across Latin America's largest economy. The revised labor rules are scheduled to take effect gradually over an implementation timeline spanning 14 months.

The legislative breakthrough follows an earlier approval by the lower house of Congress in May. Lula, currently campaigning for a fourth non-consecutive term in office, actively promoted the reform alongside his administration. Reaction from the presidency was swift, with Lula describing the outcome on social media platform X as a major achievement for the working class that will give citizens more opportunity to rest, care for their health, and spend time alongside their families.

The initiative had previously met sustained resistance from Bolsonaro and his allies in the Liberal Party, who criticized the proposal as an electoral ploy intended to enhance Lula's popularity before voters head to the polls. However, Bolsonaro, who outpolled Lula during the initial round of voting held earlier in October, altered his stance just prior to the Senate debate and announced he would cast his ballot in favor of the reduced hours.