On March 13, the first election day of the year in which Colombians elected the representatives in the Senate and the Chamber, in addition to the presidential candidates for the contest in May.
(Read: Caterine Ibargüen and other figures who did not get a seat in Congress).
By exercising your right to vote, citizenship has several benefits. One of them is a half day off for voting, in accordance with article 3 of Law 403 of 1997, which stipulates: “Every citizen who proves to have legitimately exercised the right to vote may have a half-day paid compensatory rest for the time he uses to fulfill his role as a voter.“.
You only need your electoral certificate to validate your paid time off.
To request your half day, you must have an agreement with your employer. In other words, when presenting your labor certificate at your place of work, you must arrange with your direct boss the date and time in which you can take the paid day off.
As it is an agreement, the National Registry has established that the employer cannot decide the date of the shift without consulting the employee. The benefit, according to the rule, must be valid for the month following the day of the vote.
(What’s more: Elections 2022: relive the minute by minute of the day).
In this regard, you can take the day off until 30 days after voting. That is, until next April 13.
for those who were voting juries, the Law grants them a full day of paid rest. This can be taken in the next 45 days. To request it, you must also present form E-18, which is proof that you served as a jury on election day.
WHAT DO YOU DO IF YOU ARE DENIED A HALF DAY OF REST?
This is a benefit stipulated by law in the country. Therefore, the employer has the duty to recognize the compensatory half day to those who were voters. Faced with a possible refusal, he can make the claim with a enforcement action in case of working for a public entity.
This is a benefit stipulated by law in the country. Therefore, the employer has the duty to recognize the compensatory half day to those who were voters. Faced with a possible refusal, he can make the claim with a compliance action in case of working for a public entity.
(Keep reading: What happened to the Registrar’s website on Sunday).
If you work in the private sector, you can file the complaint with the Ministry of Social Protection or the Labor Office.
BRIEFCASE
