Brazil labor unions organize nationwide protests to end 6x1 work schedule

Labor unions and social movements in Brazil are organizing nationwide demonstrations to demand the end of the 6x1 work schedule. The mobilization, led by organizations such as the Central dos Trabalhadores e Trabalhadoras do Brasil (CTB) and the Central Única dos Trabalhadores (CUT), includes a major gathering scheduled for Sunday at the MASP in São Paulo, with additional protests planned in cities including Rio de Janeiro, Salvador, Curitiba, and Fortaleza.

The movement aims to pressure the Brazilian Senate to advance Constitutional Amendment Proposal (PEC) 221/2019. The proposal, which has already passed the Chamber of Deputies, seeks to gradually reduce the maximum weekly work hours from 44 to 40 without salary reductions, effectively ending the 6x1 system that allows only one day of rest per week.

Senator Omar Aziz, the rapporteur for the initiative in the Constitution and Justice Commission, recently issued a favorable report recommending the maintenance of the text approved by the Chamber of Deputies. In addition to the Sunday protests, further mobilizations are planned in Brasília before the Senate between September 1 and 3.