MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
Brazil’s VP Alckmin backs workweek cuts as a global trend
Alckmin replied that the discussion should not be rushed and must reflect the diversity of realities across Brazil’s productive sectors Brazil’s Vice President and Industry and Trade Minister Geraldo Alckmin said on Monday that shorter working hours are a “global trend” and that Brazil should debate the issue in depth, as business leaders push to delay discussion of ending the widely used 6x1 work schedule.
Alckmin spoke at the Federation of Industries of the State of São Paulo (Fiesp), where he signed two memorandums of understanding with the group—one focused on trade defence and countering unfair practices in foreign trade, including anti-dumping instruments, and another aimed at improving Brazil’s regulatory environment by cutting red tape and boosting competitiveness.
During the event, Fiesp president Paulo Skaf asked that debate over ending the 6x1 schedule be postponed “to 2027,” arguing that an election year can amplify tensions and distort policymaking. “In an election year, emotions… often conflict with the country’s interests,” he said.
Alckmin replied that the discussion should not be rushed and must reflect the diversity of realities across Brazil’s productive sectors. At the same time, he framed the issue as part of a broader international movement. “There is a global trend toward a reduction… this has already been happening,” he said.
Trade defence and regulatory agenda
Under the trade-defence protocol, the ministry and Fiesp will cooperate institutionally, share technical tools and experience, and develop a “dumping margin calculator” intended to speed up calculations in trade-defence investigations. The regulatory protocol aims to reduce red tape, improve regulatory quality and expand digitalisation and system integration in public services, with the stated goal of lowering administrative and compliance costs for businesses and society.
Rates and US tariffs
Addressing industrial executives, Alckmin also said he expects Brazil’s central bank to begin cutting the benchmark Selic rate — currently at 15% a year — at its next meeting in March, citing a stronger real and easing food inflation. He additionally described the United States’ newly announced 15% global tariff as “positive” for Brazil, arguing that a uniform rate applied across countries reduces relative disadvantages against competitors.
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Read all comments“like nine-finger's project”
Mar 05th, 2026 - 01:38 pm 0Unlike yourself who's all thumbs, which is the totality of your apparent attributes
Terence Hill,
Mar 05th, 2026 - 03:06 pm 0I see you continue to be a staunch supporter of nine-fingers, defending your hero without the slightest clue to what's going on...typical of brain-washed lefties.
Soon you'll be able to defend his son as well - Lulinha - who is apparently crappin' his pants due to evidence that has surfaced of his involvement in the yet another financial/ corruption scandal - under the PT - that of the “Banco Master”....(and the plundering of the Social Security Fund, INSS).
-Mensalão (pocket-money paid by nine-fingers to politicians to guarantee votes in Congress).
-Petrolão/Lavajato (corruption in Petrobras to finance the left - the natural sequence after the Mensalão was shut down).
-Federal Company Pension-Funds ( a scheme which diverted the pension funds into shaky investments, which then (deliberately) sustained huge losses, with the funds being funnelled back to high-ranking members of the PT).
-“Correios” (the federally-owned P.Office, losing billions every year, but a great source of jobs for the PT).
- INSS (Social Security - approx.R$ 96 billion stolen from retirees through illegal discounts and irregular loans, by several worker Unions, with nine-finger's elder brother involved).
- and now the Banco Master (over 40 billion of investors money converted to rotten credits, a scheme sponsored by the then governor of Bahia - Rui Costa, 2015-2023 - who is now nine-finger's Cabinet Minister....
All under the umbrella of the leftist/PT's Supreme Court Justices (Lewandowski, Dias Tofolli, Dino, and with the help of Alexandre de Moraes), Organized Crime (PCC - Primeiro Comando do Capital), and corrupt elites and politicians of all political spectrums, but mainly those from the left/radical left.
Every corruption scandal always has the PT's finger-prints all over it....Never stops, does it ?
I see you continue to be a staunch supporter ” of democracy.
Posted 6 days ago 0Unlike yourself who's views are well publised.
50 Jack Bauer; “Military taking over again, ….. they did it to prevent Brazil from being handed over to the communists. ... the Military , I hope, would be there again to save Brazil
http ://en.mercopress.com/2015/01/26/brazil-supportive-of-mercosur-as-long-as-it-does-not-turn-into-a-burden/comments#comment378210
”Brazilian police uncover military plot to kill Lula before 2023 inauguration.
● Military plotters planned to kill Lula in 2022, police say
● Former aide to ex-President Bolsonaro among those arrested
● Police say documents show they planned military coup”
https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/brazilian-police-arrest-five-alleged-plot-kill-president-lula-stage-coup-2024-11-19/
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