FLEXIBILIZATION OF WORKING HOURS: ADVANCE OR DECREASE IN LABOR RELATIONS AFTER THE LABOR REFORM Flexibilization of working hours

Abstract

The article analyzes the impacts of Law No. 13.467/2017, known as labor reform, from the perspective of human and fundamental rights, highlighting the need to reinterpret Brazilian labor legislation. Initially, the text addresses the origin and evolution of Labor Law, from the Industrial Revolution to the configurations of the welfare state, which shaped labor laws to protect workers against abuses in industrial environments. The implementation of the Consolidation of Labor Laws (CLT) in 1943 in Brazil, under the government of Getúlio Vargas, is highlighted as a milestone in the protection of workers' rights, inspired by European models and aiming to regulate labor relations more effectively. The article analyzes the 2017 reform, arguing that it introduces flexibility that can lead to precarious working conditions. This flexibility, despite being proposed as a way of modernizing labor relations and increasing competitiveness, is seen as a threat to the stability and legal security of workers. The reform is discussed in relation to its provisions for direct negotiations on working conditions, such as working hours and time banks, without parallel reinforcements to strengthen trade unions, which could offset the negative effects. The study highlights the importance of preserving workers' fundamental rights and human dignity in the context of labor laws.