The labor reform project, a project that the Casa de Nariño has been working on since the beginning of this government, entered the most important part of its process in the Congress of the Republic, where there is less and less time left and three approvals are missing to become law of the Republic. which must be achieved before December or else it will sink again.
Once the stages of impediments and selection of the presentation have been overcome, The House of Representatives will now focus on voting on the articles of this bill, and a lively debate is already expected, in which the opposition and the speakers will seek to establish their positions on issues such as night shifts, the payment of Sunday and holiday surcharges, and labor rights.
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María Fernanda Carrascal, the coordinator and rapporteur of the reform, said that it cannot be forgotten that the articles to be voted on are the result of joint work in which they have listened to the unions, guilds and other social sectors, who have collected their concerns and proposals, with a view to guaranteeing decent conditions for workers and returning part of the effort they have put into moving the country forward.
“We have taken into account and have included in the text of the report, several ideas to protect micro-businesses, to protect small and medium-sized companies. We have accepted concerns that are definitely seen in the text and that we are going to debate next week. The most important thing that happened today, in this debate, is that we managed to send a message and that is that we need to “Yes or yes, working together, employers and workers,” explained Carrascal.
Labor reform
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The House Representative also stated that it is necessary to leave behind the “false beliefs” that it is necessary to have the different social groups at odds and instead generate trust and work together to promote productivity, economic growth and improved quality of life in Colombia.
“As aggregate demand increases, that is, as the “workers have better salaries and better conditions, because they can spend more. And that is what interests employers, they are interested in being able to buy the goods and services that they provide and that they produce. So, if we push through this labor reform, it will not be the only measure that will boost recovery,” he said.
The calculations within Congress at this time take for granted that the labor reform will be approved next week and with that it will be passed to the Senate, where the opposition is stronger and will have to overcome the debates in committee and plenary in just over three months, so the calculations are still tight.
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Warnings about the project
In the midst of these debates and the procedures in CongressThis week, a report by Aliadas was released, which warns that there are three challenges in this reform that have not been addressed correctly and that will result in effects on the economy that could slow job creation and, on the contrary, increase the rates of informal employment.
According to this team, despite repeated calls from different social sectors to establish a public policy based on proposals that comprehensively address the labor reality in Colombia, including reforms that benefit all actors in society, the Government insists on presenting to the legislature a reform that discourages job creation and perpetuates informality, which is causing concern.
Employment
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“It is essential to avoid legislation that favours a minority group of workers, as this does not contribute to social justice in the workplace. The reform must promote contractual flexibility, adapting to the realities of each sector, and establish a social protection system for independent workers, guaranteeing their access to social security and training. In addition, inspection and control must be strengthened. Monitoring to prevent abuses in outsourcing, without limiting productivity,” they said.
First, the Alianza Aliadas indicated that the labor reform prioritizes dependent work, excluding independent and informal workers, which contradicts the protection of all types of work. In addition, they argue that by imposing stricter conditions and raising compensation, it increases costs for microenterprises, discouraging formalization and perpetuating informality.
“The reform stigmatizes the outsourcing of services, which is crucial for specialization and business competitiveness, and limits automation, which increases operating costs. These restrictions particularly affect micro and small businesses, reducing their ability to compete in a global market where efficiency is essential,” they said.
Informality.
Juan Pablo Rueda / THE TIME
Finally, among their observations they stated that the reform would create a collective bargaining model that homogenizes conditions between companies of different sizes, which hinders the competitiveness of micro and small companies, which, when added to the lack of clarity in the management of strikes in essential services and the prohibition of collective agreements, limits the freedom of negotiation, generating potential labor conflicts.
With these three observations on the table, Aliadas closed by calling for a national debate that balances workers’ rights with business needs, thus reaffirming its commitment to a fair and responsible business environment. competitive that benefits all and promotes sustainable economic growth.
