Minimum wage: unions say that employers are not willing to negotiate

The Minister of Labor, Gloria Inés Ramírez, announced this Wednesday, December 18, that she will continue seeking agreement at the minimum wage negotiation table for 2025 and said that both business owners and workers have shown a willingness to continue the dialogue.

(Read: Minimum wage 2025: there is no agreement, but there is still no talk of issuing an increase by decree).

“We still have a chance to continue moving forward, there are movements from both the workers sector and the business group, but there is interest in continuing to build a figure for what will be the increase in the minimum wage for 2025”said Minister Ramírez, at the end of a new tripartite meeting of the Commission for Coordination of Salary and Labor Policies.

However, The unions assure that they feel pessimistic about reaching an agreement because the employers have not shown a willingness to reach an agreement.

“They have not even wanted to accept the figures presented by the National Administrative Department of Statistics (Dane) on productivity”assured the president of the CUT, Fabio Arias, this Wednesday.

(See: Are the Mi Casa Ya housing subsidies over? Government suspends its allocation).

The union leader added that, for his part, The labor confederations ratified their proposal for a 12% increase and that it was established to continue with the exercises in search of reaching an agreement before the adjustment is decided by decree.

No later than December 30, the decrees for the increase in the minimum wage, whether concerted or not, and for transportation assistance must be issued.

At the end of the meetings, Minister Ramírez also said that the members of the Commission asked her to carry out some extraordinary sessions that include speaking with the Minister of Finance, among others, to continue working, in order to structure a figure that would have the limit to be known by December 30.

(Besides: Imports to Colombia rose 6.6% in October).

Finally, the Minister made it clear that Acopi has placed the figure of 5.2% plus TFP, which is 1.73% and “On that basis we are talking about 6.83%, which we are working to see if we can bring it closer to the other members of the table, and the workers have also made an important statement where they have justified their 12%. He reiterated that the number of businessmen continues to be confidential.”.

PORTFOLIO