Transition period from the end of 6×1 is very short, says FIEMG

The PEC (Constitutional Amendment Proposal) which provides for the end of the 6×1 work schedule and the reduction of weekly working hours has generated concern in the Brazilian productive sector.

In an interview with CNN, Fernanda Ribas, labor manager at FIEMG (Federation of Industries of the State of Minas Gerais), stated that the transition period foreseen in the proposal is excessively short for companies and sectors to adequately adapt to the new rules.

According to Ribas, the PEC approved by the Chamber of Deputies and sent to the Federal Senate is not limited to the end of the 6×1 scale. "What the PEC proposes is to stick to just one type of scale, which is 5×2", he explained.

For her, these are significant and impactful changes, and the two-month period foreseen for adaptation is "extremely short", considering the diversity of scales currently used by the production sector.

Risk of inflation and increased informality

Ribas warned that reducing working hours without a proportional reduction in salary will result in an increase in the cost of each hour worked. "This will inevitably be passed on to the price of the products.

And in the end, we are the ones who will pay this bill, the whole of society", he stated. She added that the purchasing power of salaries tends to decrease with rising inflation, even if the nominal value of salaries is maintained.

In addition, the expert assessed that many entrepreneurs may not be able to absorb the additional costs, which could lead to the dismissal of workers hired by the CLT and, consequently, the growth of informality in the labor market.

"It's a really negative impact, not only for the productive sector, but for the entire country's economy", he declared.

Collective negotiation as an alternative
When asked what would be the ideal way to reduce working hours without harming the productive sector, Ribas defended collective negotiation as the most appropriate tool.

She highlighted that official surveys indicate that 80% of collective instruments already deal with working hours, which demonstrates that this negotiation already occurs by sectors. "What we defend is that this debate is legitimate, this desire to reduce working hours is legitimate, but the method is wrong", he pointed out.

As an example of the distortions that the PEC can cause, Ribas cited the 12×36 scale, widely used in the health sector.

According to her, this modality, accepted by workers, would not fit into the new proposed rules, as the average work period under this regime is 42 hours per week. "It can no longer be applied if this proposal that is now in the Senate is actually maintained", he warned.

Alternative PEC and expectation of changes
Ribas also commented on an alternative proposal articulated by the opposition, presented by Rogério Marinho (PL), which provides for the possibility of hiring on an hourly basis and maintains the current limit of 44 hours per week.

In her assessment, this PEC "is much better suited to the productive sector and the country's economy", as it does not take away rights already guaranteed to workers and makes different existing scales viable.

Regarding the prospects for changes to the PEC that ended the 6×1, Ribas said he hopes the Senate will promote changes, given the significant economic impacts identified in the studies carried out.

She expressed the desire for discussions to be postponed until after the electoral period. "The ideal, the most responsible thing, would be for these discussions to be held after the elections, because then technical issues could be taken into consideration", he concluded.

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Source: CNN