The CUT and CGT trade union federations have criticised opposition politicians in the Colombian congress after the Petro government’s proposed public referendum on its social reforms bill was blocked. On Wednesday 14 May, congress rejected the referendum proposal by 49 votes to 47, thereby casting further doubt on the future of the reforms and on the hopes of millions of low-paid workers and their families for improved social conditions.
Since its 2022 election, the government has proposed a series of social reforms that aim to tackle inequality through expanded access to essential services and economic redistribution. However, these have consistently encountered determined resistance among government opponents. Following the defeat of the labour reform in March – when eight congress members on a 14-person panel voted against it – the government proposed a public referendum on the proposals in an attempt to drive through one of its flagship policies.
In response to the latest vote, the CUT said ‘the oligarchic majority in the Senate of the Republic scuttled the referendum, even resorting to fraudulent procedures … This referendum, as we all know, represented the restoration of labour rights that had been cut under neoliberal and pro-business governments.’ The referendum proposed 12 questions that would give the public a definitive say on the reforms.
However, while blocking the referendum, the congress revived the labour reform bill after an appeal against the March. Trade unions and government supporters hope this will re-energise support for a bill that has faced intense challenges since its presentation to congress in 2022.
Key areas that the labour reform seeks to address include the highly precarious nature of employment for millions of people, as well as regulating the vast informal sector that accounts for around half the national workforce who are dangerously exposed to mishaps such as illness, unemployment or wider crises like the pandemic. The reform also seeks to end discrimination in the workplace, increase overtime pay for night and weekend work, provide stable contracts for gig economy workers and reduce outsourcing.
Colombia has some of the weakest labour rights in the world, the product of decades of hard-right economic policy and anti-union violence that has weakened organised labour movements. Trade unions see the labour reform bill as a vital step in reversing Colombia’s woeful record in this regard.
‘Continuing to resist with unity, organisation and struggle is essential to advance the deepening of democracy,’ said the CUT. It announced that Monday 19 May would be a day of public support for the government and its reforms.