Minister backs down and says he will redo ordinance on work on holidays

The Minister of Labor, Luiz Marinho, announced this Wednesday (22) that ordinance 3,665/2023, which restricts work in the commerce sector on Sundays and holidays, will be redone. According to Marinho, the new rule on the subject will only be valid from March 2024. The government’s determination received criticism from Congress.

“The understanding we reached, after listening to the benches, our ordinance will be redone with validity from March 1st [de 2024]. During this period, there will be a tripartite negotiating group to construct the national preference agreement, national convention. Always respecting the particularities of municipal laws”, said the minister at a press conference this afternoon.

The ordinance published on the 15th required, from January 2024, the conclusion of a collective agreement as a requirement for work on Sundays and holidays by commercial employees. This Tuesday (21), the Chamber of Deputies approved the emergency regime for the draft legislative decree (PDL 405/23) that allows commerce to operate on Sundays and holidays.

The proposal, authored by deputy Luiz Gastão (PSD-CE), intended to overturn the Ministry of Labor ordinance. Marinho stated that he hopes that the decision to remake the ordinance will resolve the impasse with Congress on the issue. “I will not understand if Congress still wants to proceed with the analysis of the merits [do PDL]”, he added.