BRAZIL · LABOR
Key Facts
- Decree Brazil’s labor minister expects the decree on ending the six-day week on Monday 9 November.
- Flexibility No list of exempt sectors; collective agreements between unions and employers will decide the rota.
- Rest days The constitution now requires two rest days a week; at least eight days off a month.
- Hours The legal week falls from 44 to 42 hours within two months, then to 40 a year later.
- Power Index Brazil ranks 1st of 14 in The Rio Times Latin America Power Index, with 75.0 points (October 2026 edition).
The decree ending Brazil’s six-day week is expected on Monday 9 November, Labor Minister Luiz Marinho said on Wednesday 4 November. Marinho meets President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Thursday 5 November before the decree is signed.
For decades many Brazilians worked six days and rested one, known as the 6×1 schedule. For US companies with staff in Brazil, the decree decides how shifts, payroll and opening hours must change.
What the Brazil Six-Day Week Decree Will Say
Marinho said the decree will not contain a list of sectors that get special treatment. He said companies and unions will decide how the new rules apply to each workplace.
The minister said the text will strengthen collective agreements, which are contracts negotiated between a union and an employer. He added that those agreements will play an essential role in setting work schedules.
One example he gave is a 6×1 week followed by a 4×3 week, meaning four days of work and three of rest. Over a month, that worker still gets the required days off.
How the New Work Week Works
Brazil’s Congress promulgated the constitutional amendment on Friday 16 October 2026, which made the change law. It replaces the six-day schedule with a five-day schedule and two paid rest days each week.
Marinho said every employer must give workers at least eight days off a month. A worker could, under a collective agreement, take only one rest day in some weeks, as long as the monthly total holds.
The legal working week falls from 44 hours to 42 hours within two months of promulgation. It then falls to 40 hours about a year after that, with no cut in pay.
Why Collective Agreements Matter
Shops, restaurants, hospitals, factories and call centres cannot all run the same rota. By leaving the details to agreements, the government lets each sector keep its busy days staffed.
Marinho said he spoke with Hugo Motta, the president of the Chamber of Deputies, about adjusting labor ministry rules for different sectors. The aim, he said, is that each sector can meet the amendment’s requirements.
The minister said there are no exceptions to the core rule: everyone must receive at least eight days off a month. The workweek must also come down to 42 hours.
In Plain English, Who Is Who
Luiz Marinho is Brazil’s labor minister and a former union leader who serves in President Lula’s cabinet. His ministry writes the rules that explain how labor laws work in practice.
A decree is an order signed by the president that spells out how a law is applied. Hugo Motta leads the Chamber of Deputies, the lower house of Brazil’s Congress, which voted on the amendment.
What It Means for You
If your company has offices, stores or factories in Brazil, expect payroll and scheduling changes from December. Fewer weekly hours for the same pay raises the cost of each hour worked.
Travelers may notice shorter opening hours or different staffing in shops and restaurants, though no sector-by-sector timetable exists yet. Our report on the Senate vote on the five-day week explains how the amendment passed.
Employers have also pushed for tax help to absorb the cost, which our story on payroll tax relief tied to the 6×1 debate covers. Watch the decree text on Monday for any transition rules.
What Is Not Known
The decree has not been published, so its exact wording and any transition rules are not yet public. The expected date of Monday 9 November depends on the meeting between Marinho and Lula.
It is not known how many sectors will reach agreements quickly, or how courts will treat workers who lack a union contract. Smaller firms may also wait for further rules.
More: Latin America news in English, every day from The Rio Times.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Brazil six-day week decree?
It is an order that will explain how Brazil’s new constitutional rule on rest days works in practice. The labor minister expects it on Monday 9 November 2026.
Will some sectors be exempt from the new rules?
The labor minister said the decree will contain no list of exempt sectors. Collective agreements between unions and employers will decide how each workplace adapts.
How many days off will Brazilian workers get?
The constitution now guarantees two rest days a week, and the labor minister says at least eight days off a month. Some agreements may spread them unevenly across weeks.
When do working hours fall to 40 a week?
The legal week drops from 44 to 42 hours within two months of the amendment’s promulgation on 16 October 2026. It falls to 40 hours about a year later.
Sources: Brazil’s Ministry of Labor and Employment, statements by Minister Luiz Marinho, 4 November 2026; National Congress of Brazil, promulgation of Constitutional Amendment 141 ending the 6×1 schedule, 16 October 2026.
Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief · Editorial standards · Report an error
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