Aurora Coop, considered the largest meat cooperative in Brazil, estimates it would need to hire an additional 11,000 workers on top of the current 51,000 just to produce slightly less than today, should Congress approve the end of the 6×1 schedule and the reduction of the workweek to 40 hours. This calculation comes from the cooperative’s president, Neivor Canton, in an interview published on May 26, 2026, by columnist Estela Benetti of NSC Total.
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The most delicate point, according to the president of Aurora, is not just the cost, but the feasibility of hiring. He states that the cooperative is already facing difficulties in filling open positions, which would make it practically unfeasible to achieve the goal of hiring 11,000 more workers in a short time, especially in regions of the interior of Santa Catarina where the labor supply is historically tight.
In light of this restriction, Canton states that the most likely path would be to reduce production volume, which would cause chain effects. This is because the meat agribusiness operates with a live and integrated chain, where cooperative rural producers raise poultry and pigs to supply the industrial plants. If the industry slaughters less, farms lose their destination for their animals, some producers may be left without activity, and within the factories, there is a risk of idleness and layoffs.
The president of Aurora described the scenario as “almost a restart.” According to him, the cooperative would need to recalculate the consumer’s purchasing capacity, resize how much product it can offer at new prices, and adjust the entire operation to a cost structure different from the current one, in a process that would require time, planning, and working capital.
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Despite the industry’s concerns, the reduction of working hours has strong popular support. Surveys cited by union entities, such as the Unified Workers’ Central, indicate that more than 70% of Brazilians are in favor of ending the 6×1 schedule. For supporters, technological advancement, automation, and historical productivity gains have already made room to reduce working hours without loss of efficiency, as has occurred in other countries.
Read the rest at The Cooperator
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