Flávio Bolsonaro Avoids Saying How He Would Vote on Six-Day Workweek Proposal

Flávio Bolsonaro avoided saying how he would vote on a proposal to end Brazil's six-day workweek, while presenting worker choice as his alternative to the measure supported by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's government.

In an interview with Record's Domingo Espetacular programme, Bolsonaro said employees should retain their constitutional labour rights but decide how many hours they work and how their schedules are arranged. “What we are defending is freedom. You will have all your labour rights guaranteed as they are in the Federal Constitution. But you will work as many hours as you want, you will set your own work schedule,” he said.

“

What we are defending is freedom. You will have all your labour rights guaranteed as they are in the Federal Constitution. But you will work as many hours as you want, you will set your own work schedule.

Bolsonaro cited recent judicial-reorganisation requests from Casas Bahia and Habib's as evidence of what he called a hostile environment for job creation. The proposal to end the six-day workweek without cutting wages is one of Lula's campaign's main platforms for re-election.

The proposal passed the Chamber of Deputies in the first half of the year and had stalled in the Senate. It advanced after a meeting between Lula and the presidents of the two congressional chambers. Senator Omar Aziz then released a constitutional amendment report retaining the Chamber-approved text, while the opposition filed 14 amendments.

“

This is the alternative we will offer, for workers to choose their work schedule.

One opposition amendment would preserve the 44-hour workweek in the Constitution and leave any reduction to collective bargaining or hourly contracts. The Bolsonaro-aligned bloc also submitted a proposal creating a new work regime based on hourly pay.

Bolsonaro said a president elected under his programme should be able to appoint at least four Supreme Court justices, including a vacancy left by Luís Roberto Barroso's retirement. He did not name possible nominees, but said they would oppose abortion and drugs and would not use their authority to commit injustices.

“

I will appoint men and women committed to opposing abortion, opposing drugs, and not using their authority to commit injustice against anyone.