The Chamber of Deputies of Brazil approved a bill that modernizes labor relations in the country.
Some of the main improvements that the new project introduces to the current CLT include the prevalence of negotiated agreements over legislation, regulations for intermittent and temporary work, and more flexibility regarding how employees can split their vacation days, which are part of the 16 points for which the new law would allow collective agreements and conventions to prevail over the law.
The approved text also provides safeguards to protect workers. For example, arrangements such as working hours and time banks can now be more flexible, but other rights guaranteed by the Constitution, such as the right to the “13th salary” (an annual bonus equivalent to one monthly salary provided by law), cannot be reduced or altered.
The population is not satisfied with many of the provisions of the project. The main criticism is that the reform favors employers to the detriment of employees.