Ministers from President Lula's government and allied parliamentarians have jointly rejected a proposal in the Chamber of Deputies to reduce the 6x1 work schedule. The proposal cuts weekly hours to 40 but allows six-day workweeks, opposing the government's 5x2 initiative. Officials voiced surprise and reaffirmed their dedication to ending the 6x1 scale without salary reductions.
On Tuesday (December 2), ministers from President Lula's PT administration and base parliamentarians voiced joint opposition to the text presented by the rapporteur of the Chamber's Special Subcommittee on the 6x1 Scale, Deputy Luiz Gastão (PSD-CE). The document reduces the weekly workload to 40 hours but retains the option for employees to work up to six days per week, without detriment to paid weekly rest. This goes against the government's stance, which advocates for a shift to a 5x2 schedule—five workdays and two rest days.
"The work will be provided in up to 6 (six) days of the week, without prejudice to paid weekly rest," states a section of the subcommittee's text.
Reducing the workday is a key agenda item for the Lula government, positioned as a bet for the 2026 elections, and has been emphasized in speeches and actions throughout the administration. Guilherme Boulos, Minister of the General Secretariat, Gleisi Hoffmann of Institutional Relations, and Sidônio Palmeira of the Communication Secretariat announced the government's position alongside allied lawmakers.
"We were surprised by the subcommittee's report on ending the 6x1 scale, and it does not end the 6x1 scale," Boulos told journalists. He continued: "Ending the 6x1 scale without salary reduction is a flag defended by President Lula's government, and we will continue defending it in parliament, society, the streets, and dialogue with all parliamentarians, because it is also an agenda approved by more than 70% of the Brazilian population in all surveys."
The government intends to persist in discussions with parliamentarians to advance the elimination of the 6x1 scale, in line with its public support.