Brazil Senate President Alcolumbre stalls 6x1 work‑hour reform amid Chamber push to unblock agenda

Senate President Davi Alcolumbre has halted the progress of PEC 221, which would end the 6 × 1 work schedule and reduce the weekly workweek from 44 to 40 hours with a mandatory two‑day paid rest. He kept the proposal on the Mesa Diretora and did not forward it to the Senate's Constitution and Justice Committee, canceling a scheduled meeting with committee chair Otto Alencar. Opposition senators have introduced an alternative amendment that would keep the current schedule and allow hourly contracts.

In the Chamber of Deputies, President Hugo Motta is trying to free the plenary by scheduling a government bill that mirrors the PEC’s text. He appointed deputy Leo Prates as relator, announced a vote for the following week, and has asked the executive to remove the bill’s constitutional urgency, which otherwise locks the agenda. Motta denied any agreement with the government and said he will vote regardless of the urgency regime. Lawmakers such as Veneziano Vital do Rêgo and Teresa Leitão urged fast handling, while others like Hermes Klann warned of fiscal costs. The dispute unfolds in an election year, with business groups expressing concerns about the economic impact of reduced working hours.