Cooperatives may have an extra cost of R$2.5 billion with the end of 6×1, says SRB

The proposal that foresees the end of the 6×1 work schedule is still being processed in the National Congress, but is progressing at different paces between the Chamber and the Senate. While deputies have accelerated the discussion, senators adopt a more cautious stance and indicate that the text may still undergo changes before eventual approval.

The project has generated debates in various sectors of the economy, especially in those that depend on uninterrupted production, such as agribusiness.

In an interview with CNN Money, the executive director of SRB (Brazilian Rural Society), Patrícia Arantes, stated that reducing working hours could significantly increase production costs in different chains in the sector.

According to her, the ethanol industry would be one of the most affected, with an estimated impact of between R$4 billion and R$5 billion per year due to the need to expand teams to maintain continuous operations. "In practice, the plant doesn't stop when we are resting at the weekend", he explained.

In the protein segment, such as pork and poultry, the increase in costs could reach R$9 billion annually. Agricultural cooperatives would have an estimated impact of R$2.5 billion per year, especially in states such as Paraná, Goiás, São Paulo and Rio Grande do Sul, where this production model is more representative.

Arantes also highlighted that Brazilian agribusiness has been recording consistent productivity gains. She cited an IPEA study, based on USDA data, according to which the sector's productivity grew, on average, 3.2% per year between 2000 and 2019, a rate higher than the world average of 1.7%.

For the executive, this performance demonstrates that the current model of work organization has allowed the expansion of the activity. "With adequate working hours, we managed to grow the sector and the Brazilian economy in the right way", he stated.

In the opinion of the SRB director, a change in legislation would be unnecessary, as a large part of the agricultural production chains already negotiate differentiated working hours through collective agreements between companies and unions.

According to her, the prevalence of what is negotiated over what is legislated, consolidated after the labor reform, offers sufficient flexibility to meet the particularities of each activity.

Another challenge highlighted by Arantes is the shortage of qualified labor. She stated that the food sector alone has around 500 thousand vacancies open and warned that a possible reduction in working hours could increase the prices charged by restaurants by approximately 10%.

"Our calculation is very difficult to balance when we see a job market that needs to hire, but is unable to hire due to lack of qualifications", he concluded.

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Source: CNN