DistantNews
Support us
🇧🇷 Brazil /Economy & Trade

End of 6x1 work schedule could close beauty salons on Saturdays, executive claims

From Folha de S.Paulo · () Portuguese

Translated from Portuguese, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • A Fiesp executive argued that ending the 6x1 work schedule (six days on, one day off) would negatively impact women's ability to visit beauty salons on Saturdays.
  • She also expressed concern that reducing the work week to 40 hours could lead to supermarkets and pharmacies closing on Sundays.
  • The proposed labor reform aims to reduce the weekly work limit but does not prohibit work on any specific day; it suggests weekends for mandatory days off.

Luciana Nunes Freire, executive director of Fiesp (Federation of Industries of São Paulo), voiced strong opposition to the proposed end of the 6x1 work schedule, arguing it would disproportionately affect women.

During a Senate debate on the labor reform, Freire stated, "I work 5x2, and on Saturdays, any woman in this plenary, in the urban center, or in a community, goes to the hairdresser. And will it be closed on Saturdays to serve us?" She questioned the practicality of businesses closing on Saturdays, a day many women use for personal appointments.

I work 5x2, and on Saturdays, any woman in this plenary, in the urban center, or in a community, goes to the hairdresser. And will it be closed on Saturdays to serve us?

— Luciana Nunes FreireExecutive director of Fiesp, arguing against the end of the 6x1 work schedule.

Freire extended her concerns to the potential impact of reducing the weekly work cap from 44 to 40 hours. She predicted that supermarkets and pharmacies might close on Sundays, disrupting essential services. "Any woman who is the breadwinner or, like me, supports a mother and daughter, on Sundays I stock up at the supermarket, I get food for my family, I buy medicine for my mother. Will everything be closed to me on Sundays? Is it right for essential services to close and harm the population?" she asked.

The proposed constitutional amendment (PEC) to end the 6x1 schedule focuses on reducing the weekly hour limit, not on prohibiting work on specific days. While the text approved by the Chamber of Deputies suggests that the two mandatory weekly days off should preferably be on weekends, Freire's arguments highlight fears of reduced access to services, particularly for women, if such reforms are enacted without considering their social implications.

Any woman who is the breadwinner or, like me, supports a mother and daughter, on Sundays I stock up at the supermarket, I get food for my family, I buy medicine for my mother. Will everything be closed to me on Sundays? Is it right for essential services to close and harm the population?

— Luciana Nunes FreireExpressing concerns about reduced access to essential services due to potential changes in work schedules.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Folha de S.Paulo in Portuguese. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

More Stories

From Our Blog