Brazilian Senate Approves Constitutional Amendment to Ban Six-Day Workweek

The Brazilian Senate voted overwhelmingly on October 14, 2026, to approve a historic constitutional amendment that bans the country's traditional six-day workweek. The reform, known as PEC 221/2019, passed in two consecutive rounds of voting by a 75-to-1 margin. The legislation mandates a transition from the current 44-hour workweek to a maximum of 40 hours across five days, guaranteeing two paid rest days per week with no reduction in employee salaries.

The six-day shift, locally referred to as the "6x1" schedule, has long served as the operational foundation for Brazil's retail, hospitality, and service sectors. Business groups, including the National Confederation of Commerce of Goods, Services and Tourism, have warned that the uniform mandate will raise operating costs by requiring companies to reorganize shifts, hire additional staff, or pay overtime to maintain weekend coverage. The National Confederation of Industry previously estimated the transition's broader economic cost at 267 billion reais ($47.5 billion USD).

The timing of the Senate vote carried high political stakes, taking place just 11 days before the October 25, 2026, presidential runoff election. Incumbent President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, a former labor leader, championed the bill as a landmark victory for working-class voters. In a notable political shift on October 13, 2026, his conservative challenger, Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, reversed his long-standing opposition to back the amendment, stating that the majority of Brazilian workers supported ending the schedule.

Because the Senate approved the identical text passed by the Chamber of Deputies in May 2026, the amendment does not require presidential sanction and will be promulgated directly by Congress. The transition is structured to occur in two stages. Sixty days after formal promulgation, the maximum workweek will fall from 44 to 42 hours, with the final 40-hour limit taking effect 14 months later.