Brazil ends the six-day work week, cutting the constitutional cap to 40 hours

Brazil's Senate approved constitutional amendment PEC 221/2019 on 14 October 2026, and Congress promulgated it on 16 October in a solemn session attended by the President. The amendment ends the six-days-on, one-day-off schedule, guarantees two paid weekly rest days, one preferably on Sunday, and lowers the weekly maximum from 44 hours without any pay cut. The cap falls to 42 hours two months after promulgation and to 40 hours a year after that. Clauses in collective agreements that conflict with the new rules lose effect.

Putting working time in the constitution places it beyond ordinary legislative reversal. Opposition senator Jorge Seif called the text rigid and said adjustments could come next year. The open questions are the effect on small firms and informal work, and whether productivity rises as hours fall.