Lula Urges Mobilization for Brazil Workweek Reform Push
Brazil fast-tracks a bill to cut working hours as unions press a broader labor agenda.
Workers mobilize in Brasília as unions push for reduced working hours and labor reforms. Photo: @guifrodu
April 16, 2026 Hour: 4:05 am
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Government fast-tracks bill to end 6×1 schedule as workers’ unions present 68 demands
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva urged trade unions to mobilize in support of a bill sent to Congress to reduce the workweek and end the six-days-on, one-day-off labor model, as organized labor submitted a broader set of demands for the coming years.
The proposal, introduced under an urgent procedure, would cap the workweek at 40 hours and move toward a five-day schedule without reducing wages. Lula framed the measure as part of a broader effort to improve living conditions and ensure that gains from technological progress translate into more rest and leisure time for workers.
“You cannot abdicate your sacred responsibility to fight for the workers you represent,” Lula told union leaders at the Planalto Palace after a march organized by labor groups in Brasília. “There is no easy moment. It is always a lot of sacrifice. And every time we send something to be approved in Congress, we need to know that you have to help.”
The president received a document outlining 68 demands from Brazilian unions during what organizers described as a “march of the working class” on the Esplanade of Ministries. According to union representatives, the proposals define priorities for the next five years, including responses to technological change, environmental pressures, and shifts in the labor market.
Clemente Ganz, coordinator of the Forum of Trade Union Centrals, said recent International Labour Organization studies show that women and young people are likely to be most affected by artificial intelligence and technological innovation. He also pointed to the impact of climate change and environmental emergencies on employment.
The reduction of working hours has long been a central demand of labor movements and is now a key element of the government’s agenda in an election year, as Lula seeks a fourth non-consecutive term.
Text Reads: The opposition to Lula da Silva’s government requested hearings this Wednesday to analyze the proposed constitutional amendments that seek to end the 6×1 work schedule. As a result, the debate in the Constitution and Justice Committee of the Chamber of Deputies will have to be postponed for approximately 15 days.
The bill does not interrupt an ongoing constitutional amendment under discussion in Congress on the same issue. However, its urgent status requires lawmakers to debate and vote on the proposal within 45 days, while the constitutional process involves a longer procedure, including the formation of a special committee and two rounds of voting in both legislative chambers.
Business groups have expressed concern over the potential economic impact. The National Confederation of Industry said that while the debate is “legitimate and necessary,” reducing the workweek to 40 hours could increase formal labor costs by up to 7 percent annually.
Lula also paid tribute to activist Rick Azevedo, who founded the movement Life Beyond Work after publicly denouncing the six-day work model in a viral video in 2023. The president suggested that, if approved, the law could bear Azevedo’s name.
Author: MK
Source: Agencies
