Reducing the work schedule will generate costs for everyone, says Abimaq

The proposal to end the 6×1 scale and the reduction of working hours in Brazil generate intense concern in the production sector. In an interview with Backstage CNN, José Velloso, executive president of Abimaq (Brazilian Association of Machinery and Equipment Industry), warned that the changes could cause the collapse of micro and small business owners and that the resulting costs will be passed on to the entire population.

Velloso stated that he participated in a meeting with businesspeople from different sectors - industry, services, retail and agriculture - in which the apprehension was widespread. "Expectations are not good. There is great concern among businesspeople," he declared.

The absence of a transition period worries the sector
One of the points most criticized by Velloso is the lack of an adequate transition period. According to him, the ban on the 6×1 scale does not provide for any adaptation phase - the change would be immediate.

The reduction in weekly working hours from 44 to 40 hours would have a first stage of transition to 42 hours, with a deadline of just 60 days. "How is it that in 60 days the businessman will be able to redo his grid? No one will be able to do that", he asked.

The Abimaq representative highlighted that the industrial sector is already facing difficulties in hiring specialized labor. With the change, the shortage of available workers would tend to worsen even further. "We already have many vacancies that are not filled and now we are going to have another problem", he stated.

Cost will be passed on to the entire population
Velloso was categorical in stating that the increase in costs resulting from the reduction in working hours will be transferred to the prices of products and services. He recalled that only between 40 and 44 million Brazilians have a formal contract, but that all citizens - with or without a formal contract - will pay the bill. "Everyone will pay the bill because, logically, there will be a transfer," he said.

The transfer would occur because companies would have the same expenses with lower production, in addition to bearing the increased cost of overtime and the difficulty of replacing workers.

For small businesses, the situation would be even more critical. Velloso exemplified that, without a transition period for changing the scale, a small business owner would not be able to hire an employee in time to open his establishment on the first Saturday after the law came into force.

"Of course there will be a collapse, especially in the first months, in the first years", he warned.

Parliamentarians would have voted against their convictions in the Chamber
Velloso reported that Abimaq spoke with deputies from different parliamentary fronts before the vote in the Chamber, including the FPMAQ (Parliamentary Front for the Machinery Industry), the FPA (Parliamentary Front for Agriculture) and the FPE (Parliamentary Front for Entrepreneurship).

According to him, the overwhelming majority of parliamentarians would be against the project, but ended up voting in favor due to electoral pressure. "I'm against the project, but there's the question of my viability in the next elections", would be the recurring comment among congressmen, according to Velloso.

The Abimaq representative also stated that the projects had been being processed in the Chamber for some time without progress, and that the vote was guided in a surprising way by the President of the House, Hugo Motta (Republianos-PB).

"This took everyone by surprise," said Velloso, adding that many parliamentarians would have been "walled in" and voted "against their convictions."

Sector defends worker well-being, but calls for transition
Despite the criticism, Velloso stressed that the productive sector is not contrary to workers' well-being. Abimaq's position is in favor of workers having as much rest as possible, but with an adequate transition and a national workforce training program.

"What we would have to do is a country program training people, with a perspective for companies to have somewhere to look for this workforce that will be missing", he concluded.

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Source: CNN