The Guardian World · Oct 15, 2026

Brazil cuts work week to 40 hours in win for Lula ahead of runoff

Congress approves constitutional amendment that bans six-day workweeks, which could affect up to 30 million Brazil’s congress has approved a constitutional amendment to shorten the working week to a maximum of 40 hours, a move that could affect 30 million workers and that will hand a political victory to the leftist president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva ahead of the presidential runoff in under two weeks.