// BBC WORLD NEWS — MONDO
Brazil's Congress approves shorter working week in win for Lula
The measure had broad support and trade unions held rallies in its favour in recent weeks
Brazil's Congress has approved a constitutional amendment that will cut the working week from 44 hours to 40 and give employees two days off per week without cutting their salary.
The change represents the biggest overhaul to workers' rights since Brazil's return to democracy in 1988.
Senators passed the amendment, which left-wing President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva had championed, less than two weeks before a second round in the Latin American nation's presidential election.
Lula's supporters are hoping that its passage, which is estimated to benefit more than 30 million workers, will boost his chances of closing in on his right-wing rival, Flávio Bolsonaro, in the 25 October run-off.
The son of former President Jair Bolsonaro won the first round of the presidential election with 47% of the vote, ahead of Lula on 45.2%. Both fell short of the 50% of valid votes needed to stave off a decisive second round.
Opinion polls suggest that the move to cut the working week is very popular, with one nationwide survey finding that almost 70% of Brazilians backed it.
The measure had already passed in the Chamber of Deputies, Brazil's lower house, in May, before senators overwhelmingly backed the measure on Wednesday by 75 votes to one.
Flávio Bolsonaro, who is currently a senator, dropped his previous opposition to the measure and also cast a "yes" vote.
Announcing his change of heart on Tuesday, he argued that he had been swayed by the measure's popularity, commenting: "Most Brazilian workers want to see the end of the six-day workweek, so I'm going to vote in favour of ending it."