PEC at the end of the 6×1 scale completes a month-long standstill in the Senate

The proposal on the end of the 6×1 work schedule completes this Sunday (28) a month at a standstill in the Federal Senate, with no progress in the analysis. A priority for the government, the matter awaits an order from the president of the House, senator Davi Alcolumbre (União-AP).

The Chamber of Deputies approved the PEC (Proposed Amendment to the Constitution) on reducing working hours in the country on May 27th. The following day, the text reached the Senate, where it has been stuck ever since.

On Wednesday (1st), the proposal will be the focus of a thematic debate session in the Senate plenary. It will be the first formal discussion of the PEC since it was sent to the Senate. The text, however, is still awaiting referral from Alcolumbre for analysis by the CCJ (Constitution and Justice Commission).

On the same day, the president of the Senate must meet with parliamentarians who authored the proposals that deal with the end of the 6×1 scale. Representative Erika Hilton (PSOL) and Representative Reginaldo Lopes (PT) participate in the meeting. Representatives of the trade unions and the new government leader in the Senate, Teresa Leitão (PT), also confirmed their presence.

The approval of the end of the 6×1 scale by senators is a "mission" given by Planalto to the new government leader in the Senate, Senator Teresa Leitão (PT-PE), who took office in place of Jaques Wagner (PT-BA) this week.

Despite the Executive's rush to advance the text, Alcolumbre has already ruled out voting on the PEC directly in the plenary and indicated that the Senate should suggest changes. According to him, the House will not just "stamp" the version approved by the deputies.

An approval with changes to the merits of the text would imply the return of the PEC for evaluation by the Chamber, which would further delay the final approval of the text.

Another impasse regarding the processing of the proposal involves the choice of rapporteur. One of the main names defended by Alcolumbre's allies, senator Rodrigo Pacheco (PSB-MG) denied his intention to take on the role.

Alcolumbre is going through a bad phase in its relationship with the government, strained since the rejection of Jorge Messias for a place on the STF (Supreme Federal Court). In addition to the end of the 6×1 scale, the president of the Senate also did not move forward with other priority issues for the Executive.

The list of blocked matters also includes the so-called Public Security PEC, the project on the exploration of critical minerals in the country and the proposal that creates a Special Taxation Regime for Datacenter Services, called Redata.

The PEC at the end of the 6×1, however, is seen as the biggest priority. The text is considered an important electoral asset and a banner for President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's (PT) pre-campaign for re-election.

What the proposal says
The article reduces working hours from 44 to 40 hours per week and establishes two days of rest, without salary reductions. The reduction will occur over a total period of 14 months, in two stages with a reduction of two hours: one after 60 days of the formalization of the new constitutional amendment and another after 12 months.

Members of the production sector are against the change and have sought out Alcolumbre to negotiate. Entrepreneurs fear risks of economic impact with the possible increase in production costs and, therefore, demand financial compensation to implement the reduction.

The government's economic team, however, argues that the change should have no impact and will allow productivity gains by improving the workforce's quality of life.

End of 6x1: Senate wing studies how to compensate companies | CNN 360º

Source: CNN