Around 84% of Brazilians are in favor of workers having at least two days of rest per week, according to the survey by Nexus – Research and Data Intelligence, carried out in the 27 units of the Federation, between the 30th of January and the 5th of this month. According to the survey, 73% of respondents support the end of the 6×1 scale, as long as there is no salary reduction. 2,021 citizens over 16 years of age were interviewed.
The CEO of Nexus, Marcelo Tokarski, clarified this Thursday (12) to Brazil Agency that the vast majority – 62% of those consulted – know that there is a debate, within the federal government and the National Congress, on the proposal to end the 6×1 scale.
“We have 35%, that is, one in every three people who have never even heard of this business. And of the 62% who have heard of it, 12% know it well and 50% know it more or less”, said Tokarski.
Generally speaking, 63% of those consulted were in favor of ending the 6×1 scale. When asked whether they would continue to support a salary reduction or change their opinion, 30% said they were in favor, as long as it did not affect workers’ pockets.
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The same question was asked to the 22% who said they were against the end of the 6×1 journey. Of these, 11% said they would continue to be against it, but 10% responded that “if I don’t touch my pocket, I’ll agree”.
With the reduction in salary, the total number of people in favor of ending the scale drops to 28%, that is, the minority. Another 40% are only in favor of the 6×1 scale if the measure is approved and does not imply a salary reduction. There are still 5% who say they are in favor of ending the working day, but still do not have an opinion on the condition of maintaining or reducing salaries.
Marcelo Tokarski assesses that the major discussion in Congress will deal with reducing working hours, with or without reducing workers’ remuneration. For him, what the research shows very clearly is that almost everyone is in favor of taking extra time off. “You can’t work six days and take just one off,” he said.
“This is the big issue, because companies argue that working hours should not be reduced, but if there is a reduction, it will be with a reduction in salary. And workers, in general, do not accept a reduction in working hours with a salary reduction”, he explains.
Less money
According to Marcelo Tokarski, the problem is that, in Brazil, a low-middle-income country with more precarious work, few people accept taking extra time off if their salary decreases.
“I think this is a bit of a reading that the research brings us and that sheds light on this discussion,” he said.
The survey shows that 84% of people believe that workers should have two mandatory days off. “It’s almost a desire bias. Who doesn’t want to have extra time off? Everyone does. Now, when we say that you’re going to work a day less, but you’re going to earn less, people don’t want it because they have bills to pay. I think that’s a bit what the data shows for us.”
Lula
The project to end the 6×1 journey is more approved by those who voted for President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. “It was a promise, a flag defended by the government as well. It’s natural that those who voted for Lula tend to support more”, said Marcelo Tokarski.
The survey reveals that 71% of respondents who voted for President Lula in the second round of the 2022 elections are in favor of the bill that proposes the end of the 6×1 scale. Another 15% are against, while 15% had no opinion. Among those who voted for Jair Bolsonaro in the last presidential elections, 53% are in favor of ending the 44-hour work week, 32% are against it and 15% had no opinion.
PEC
PEC 148/2015 was approved on December 10 last year by the Senate Constitution and Justice Committee, but it still needs to go through two votes in the Senate plenary and two in the Chamber, with a favorable vote from at least 49 senators and 308 deputies.
If approved, the end of the 6×1 scale will occur gradually. In the first year, the current rules will be maintained. In the following year, the number of weekly breaks will increase from one to two. Currently, the maximum weekly working hours are 44 hours but, from 2027, this may drop to 40 hours. The final cap will be 36 hours per week from 2031 onwards. Previously, what was expected was that employers would not be able to reduce workers’ pay to compensate for the new rest time. This point must be voted on by the National Congress.
The survey asked respondents whether they think the proposal will be approved by Congress, and 52% said yes, compared to 35% who responded no. Another 13% had no opinion. And only 12% said they understood the PEC well.
