Lula Says Flávio Could Undo Five-Day Week
BRAZIL · ELECTIONS
Published Friday, 16 October, 5:55 p.m. ET · Source: Gazeta do Povo, SBT News
Key Facts
- The country Brazil, Latin America’s largest country, elects its president in a runoff on Sunday 25 October between President Lula and Senator Flávio Bolsonaro.
- What changed On Friday 16 October, Lula told a rally in Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais, that the Bolsonaristas would end the new five-day week and bring back the old schedule if voters “get the vote wrong”.
- The law Congress promulgated an amendment that cuts the weekly limit from 44 to 40 hours and guarantees two paid rest days, with no pay cut.
- The dispute Lula says Flávio’s hourly-pay model would leave no cap on hours worked. We found no response from Flávio’s campaign to Friday’s remark.
- Power Index Brazil ranks 1st of 14 in The Rio Times Latin America Power Index, with 75.0 points (October 2026 edition).
- Prediction markets Polymarket gives Flávio Bolsonaro a 76.6% chance of winning the 25 October runoff and Lula 23.5% (16 October, 5:52 p.m. ET). Polymarket puts Flávio Bolsonaro’s chance of winning at 77% and Kalshi at 76% (Lula: 24% and 23%), as of 16 October, 6:00 pm ET; prices are bets, not polls.
- Still open Whether the remark moves undecided voters, which the next polls will show.
Runoff · Sunday, 25 October
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President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said on Friday 16 October that Bolsonaro supporters would bring back Brazil’s six-day work week if they win the 25 October runoff. He spoke at a campaign rally in Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais, Gazeta do Povo reported, hours after Congress promulgated the amendment that ends it.
The warning ties the final stretch of the Brazil election 2026 campaign to a change that applies to employers across Latin America’s largest economy. It matters for US investors and for US companies with Brazilian staff, because the new schedule changes how work is organised and paid for.
What Lula Said in Juiz de Fora
“Se a gente errar no voto, os bolsonaristas vão acabar e voltar com a escala,” Lula told the crowd. In English: if voters get it wrong, the Bolsonaristas will end the new arrangement and bring the old schedule back, Gazeta do Povo reported.
In a video posted earlier on social media, before he attended the promulgation session in Congress, Lula said that “if they can, they will try to take it away.” He urged workers to “not allow a setback” and cited Argentina as a cautionary example, SBT News reported.
He also said that Flávio’s proposal, pay by hours worked, “means no limit on hours worked.” He closed by urging supporters to vote for number 13, his Workers’ Party (PT) ballot number, on 25 October.
What the New Amendment Does
Congress promulgated the constitutional amendment on Friday 16 October, and Lula attended the session. It lowers the maximum working week from 44 to 40 hours, with two paid rest days a week, one of them preferably a Sunday, and no cut in pay.
The change is phased in, with the first reduction about two months after enactment and the final stage a year later, Gazeta do Povo reported. For background, see our report on the enactment.
Where Flávio Bolsonaro Stands
Flávio first opposed the end of the 6×1 schedule, then announced on 13 October that he would vote for it, saying most Brazilian workers want it, Times Brasil reported. He kept reservations about hiring costs and informal work, and had earlier offered a different model: workers could choose between a standard employment contract and a flexible one in which pay follows hours worked, SBT News reported on 7 October.
Under that plan, fewer hours would mean proportionally lower wages, holiday pay, the 13th-month salary and severance-fund (FGTS) deposits.
Lula’s remark is a campaign claim about what Bolsonaro supporters would do, not a statement by Flávio or a bill before Congress. Neither source records a reply from Flávio’s campaign.
What It Means for You
If you own Brazilian stocks or US-listed shares of Brazilian employers, the work-week change affects the cost of running a business in Brazil. A runoff that polls as a technical tie keeps that cost question open until the result is known, as the Brazil election polls tracker shows.
If you run a business with Brazilian staff, the amendment sets the new legal limit regardless of the runoff. Any later reversal would need Congress to act again.
What Prediction Markets Say
On Polymarket, an online prediction market, bettors give Flávio Bolsonaro a 76.6% chance of winning the 25 October runoff and Lula 23.5% (16 October, 5:52 p.m. ET). The “Brazil Presidential Election” market has drawn about US$184.8 million in total bets; see our Brazil election odds page.
Why we show this: prediction markets turn real-money bets into a live probability that moves within minutes of the news, which is why investors, campaigns and newsrooms in the United States now follow them closely. We show them next to polls and official results, never instead of them.
Prediction markets · who wins the runoff
Implied chance of winning Brazil’s presidency on 25 October, from traders’ prices.
Polymarket
Flávio Bolsonaro 76.8% · Lula 23.5% (US$185 million traded)
Kalshi (regulated in the US by the CFTC)
Flávio Bolsonaro 76% · Lula 23%
As of 16 October, 6:00 pm ET (23:00 Lisbon), updated every 20 minutes. Prices are bets, not polls, and can move fast.
Why we show this: prediction markets turn real-money bets into a live probability that moves within minutes of the news, which is why investors, campaigns and newsrooms in the United States now follow them closely. We show them next to polls and official results, never instead of them.
What Is Not Known
It is not known whether Flávio’s campaign will respond. Both sources quote Lula only, so his account of what the Bolsonaristas would do is unconfirmed, and Flávio himself said he would vote for the amendment.
It is also unclear how many voters this argument will reach in the nine days left. Polls measure opinion on the days of the interviews and do not forecast the result.
More: Brazil news in English, every day from The Rio Times.
Frequently Asked Questions
What did Lula say about the six-day work week?
On Friday 16 October he told a rally in Juiz de Fora that the Bolsonaristas would end the new schedule and bring back the old one if they win. Flávio announced on 13 October that he would vote for the amendment.
What does Brazil’s new work-week amendment do?
It cuts the maximum week from 44 to 40 hours and guarantees two paid rest days, one preferably on Sunday, with no pay cut. It is phased in over about a year after a first step roughly two months after enactment.
What is Flávio Bolsonaro’s work-schedule proposal?
Earlier he proposed letting workers choose a flexible contract in which pay follows hours worked. SBT News reported on 7 October that this would mean proportionally lower pay for fewer hours.
Has Flávio Bolsonaro responded to Lula’s claim?
We found no response in the two reports we checked. We will not attribute a reply to him until his campaign gives one.
When is Brazil’s runoff?
Brazilians vote on Sunday 25 October. The winner takes office as president for a four-year term.
Sources: Times Brasil, 13 October 2026; Gazeta do Povo, 16 October 2026; SBT News, 16 October 2026; SBT News, 7 October 2026.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief