The lower house of the Brazilian National Congress has approved the preliminary text on a bill that would pave the way for companies to outsource more work, in an effort to lift strict rules governing which roles can currently be outsourced.

While the bill was being discussed in parliament, protests sparked across 12 Brazilian cities, including the capital Brasilia, where police and protestors clashed outside the Congress building.

Despite this, the Chamber of Deputies has voted in favour of the measures. However, the bill still requires the approval of the Brazilian Senate and the signature of President Dilma Rousseff, whose party is opposed to the measures.

Deputy Arthur Oliveira Maia urged Brazilians to remember that outsourcing is a global practice and condemned the exaggerated warnings of those criticising the bill, saying ‘People are creating a terror scene and apocalyptic scenery that has not happened in other countries.’

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