Chamber president Hugo Motta forwarded a PEC to the CCJ on Monday (9) to end the 6x1 work scale, a Lula government priority. He argued the discussion is unavoidable and started late in the country. The debate intensifies with an Ipea study on work hours reduction.
Hugo Motta, president of the Chamber of Deputies, stated on Monday (February 9) that the discussion to end the six-day workweek with one day off, known as the 6x1 scale, "already starts late" in Brazil. In a plenary speech, he defended the processing of the Constitutional Amendment Proposal (PEC) presented in 2024 by Deputy Erika Hilton (PSol-SP), forwarded that morning to the Constitution and Justice Committee (CCJ). The proposal will proceed jointly with another authored by Deputy Reginaldo Lopes (PT-MG).
Motta emphasized that the issue is one of the Lula government's priorities for this year and that he will meet in the coming days with President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, as well as Ministers Gleisi Hoffmann, Guilherme Boulos, and Luiz Marinho, to discuss ending the scale. The government is considering sending a bill with constitutional urgency to speed up consideration. The assignment of the PEC rapporteur and the schedule will occur after Leur Lomanto Júnior's election to lead the CCJ.
In the speech, Motta compared the moment to the slavery abolition process, when opponents predicted economic chaos, which did not happen. "As Chamber president, I will schedule the constitutional amendment to end the six-by-one scale," he said. He acknowledged resistances but stated the issue will be handled "with responsibility." "Brazil is mature to face the six-by-one scale," he concluded.
The debate has gained momentum recently with discussions on work hours reduction. An Ipea study, to be released on Tuesday (10), states that the reduction will have a significant redistributive income effect. Based on 2023 Rais data, the institute notes that the 44-hour legal maximum concentrates lower-income and less-educated workers in low-pay, high-turnover occupations, while 40-hour contracts are linked to higher average salaries.
