A new labor law in Brazil, MTE nº 3.665/2023, goes into effect in March 2026, which will change how retailers can operate on Sunday. The law effectively closes retail stores on Sunday and requires approval from trade unions in order for businesses to open their doors on that day. If a business wants to operate on Sunday, it must get express authorization through collective bargaining. This new measure does in fact restrict Sunday activities, strengthening Sunday rest throughout the nation.
Pinto & Fernando Pinto Law Firm published the following explaining how the new law works:
• “MTE Ordinance No. 3,665/2023 has introduced significant changes to the rules authorizing work on Sundays and holidays within the retail sector. The regulation will come into full effect in March 2026 and significantly alters how establishments may organize their work schedules on these days.” [1]
• “Under the new regulation, provisions of MTP Ordinance No. 671/2021—which previously allowed commercial establishments to operate automatically on Sundays and holidays—have been revoked.” [1]
• “Under the new rule, working on these dates now requires express authorization via a collective bargaining agreement negotiated between companies and the relevant trade unions.” [1]
The new ordinance revokes earlier rules that allowed retail stores to operate automatically on Sundays and holidays. Work on those days now requires explicit authorization negotiated between companies and trade unions—a process that is so restrictive and bureaucratically burdensome that obtaining approval becomes exceedingly difficult, effectively limiting or preventing Sunday operations.
Across many parts of the world, a clear pattern has been emerging: governments, labor organizations, and religious groups are increasingly promoting Sunday as a protected weekly day of rest. The goal is simple: restricting commercial activity on Sunday and elevating it as a special day within society. These developments are not isolated, and Brazil is the most recent nation to get on board the growing international movement to normalize Sunday as the official day of rest in civil law.
Sources
[1] https://www.pfpadvogados.com.br/blog/trabalho-domingos-feriados-comercio-2026
0
0
0
Leave a Reply