Summary The new legislation gives housemaids the right to overtime after a maximum of eight hours a day.
BRASILIA (AP) - Brazil s Congress has approved a constitutional amendment that guarantees domestic workers the same labour rights as any other worker.
The amendment approved Tuesday night is expected to be ratified by President Dilma Rousseff early next week.
The new legislation gives housemaids the right to overtime after a maximum of eight hours a day, limits their work week to 44 hours and entitles them to a daily one-hour break, paid vacations, and 13 monthly wages a year.
They also qualify for the Federal Unemployment Insurance Fund. Employers pay 8 percent of a worker s monthly wage to this fund.
An estimated 8 million people work as maids in Brazil.
