Marinho presents project to define rules about working on holidays

The opposition leader in the Senate, Rogério Marinho (PL-RN), presented this Thursday (16) a bill to define rules on work on Sundays and holidays. The proposal is a response to changes made by the federal government. According to the new determination of the Ministry of Labor, commercial employees will only be able to work on holidays with authorization by the Collective Labor Agreement. With this, unions will have more powers.

“The legal uncertainty generated by the aforementioned decision [do governo], on the eve of the end of year festivities, must be interrupted. We understand that it is precisely the poorest workers in the retail sector who will be the most harmed”, said the parliamentarian when justifying his proposal. PL 5516/2023 excludes the need for prior permission from the competent authority for work on Sundays; it ensures the preference for weekly rest on that day; and ensures that work on Sundays and holidays is paid double, unless there is compensatory time off.

In a statement, Marinho stated that the intention of the project is to “bring clarity and legal certainty to legislation”. Furthermore, the proposal seeks to “guarantee the freedom of operation of companies, without jeopardizing religious cult activities, and eliminate arbitrariness in permitting or prohibiting work on specific days”.

“To avoid unemployment and the concerns that were generated, I propose that the National Congress legislate and make the matter clear to the population. It is necessary, therefore, that employees and employers receive, from now on, certainties and not uncertainties from their governments” , said the senator in justifying the project.