Brazilian president and re-election candidate Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (left) greets supporters during a campaign event in Ceilandia. (EPA Images pic)SAO PAULO: Brazil's Senate on Wednesday approved a constitutional amendment to reduce the country's workweek from six days to five, providing president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva a key legislative win less than two weeks before the country's presidential runoff.
The popular labour reform was backed by lawmakers from across Brazil's political spectrum in the two required votes, including by Lula's runoff opponent, right-wing Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, who had once opposed it.
Approved by the Senate after receiving the green light from the lower house in May, the amendment lowers working hours in Latin America's largest economy to 40 hours a week from 44, effectively ending a common practice in some sectors, such as retail, of requiring formal employees to work six days a week.
