Brazil Congress approves shorter work week ahead of runoff

· Politics · Brazil

Brazil's Congress approved a constitutional amendment to shorten the working week to a maximum of 40 hours, a move that could affect 30 million workers and hand a political victory to President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Lula also pledged free weekend transit nationwide as the presidential runoff nears. Flavio Bolsonaro continues to slightly lead Lula ahead of the October 25 runoff, but the gap has narrowed, a Datafolha poll showed.

Why it matters：The work-week change and voter-friendly measures could reshape Brazil's election outcome and set a precedent for labor policy in emerging economies.

Key points

  • Brazil's Congress approved a constitutional amendment capping the work week at 40 hours
  • The measure could affect 30 million workers
  • Lula pledged free weekend public transit; polls show a narrowing race

Sources (original reporting)

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