Labor reform: 75% approved, debate resumes Monday

In a race against time to avoid setbacks, the Senate plenary has already approved more than 75% of the labor reform bill and is preparing to enter the final stretch of this debate next Monday, June 16. Meanwhile, the Executive Branch has launched several proposals to abandon the controversial referendum already signed by President Petro.

During the plenary sessions on Wednesday, June 11, and Thursday, June 12, the Senate voted on 58 of the 77 articles of the proposed text, representing 75% of the text. The vote on the first block resulted in 85 votes in favor and just five against, reflecting a large majority in favor of proceeding.

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On the first day, 17 key articles of the document were approved. These included Articles 8, 22, 24, 44, 52, 59, 67, 69, and 73, as well as other proposals that were included as part of the record, such as Articles 26 to 31, 43, 58, and 72. This formula allowed for progress in the discussion without eliminating the objections of some sectors, which were formally recorded in the legislative history.

The second session, held on Thursday, has so far approved articles 2, 3, 5, 10, 18, 20, 32 to 35, 41, 42, 46, 50, 51, 53, 55 to 57, 65, 70, and 71, all without modifications compared to what was presented in the report. Articles 1 and 4 were also approved, with proposals included. With this progress, the bill still has 36 articles remaining to be debated and voted on, which must be resolved in the upcoming sessions.

For the session of Monday, June 16 , the vote on 19 articles was pending, including: 9, 11, 12, 15, 23, 25, 37, 38, 54, 61, 62, 63, 64, 66, 68, 74, 75, 76 and 77.

Among the agreements reached was the decision to maintain the apprenticeship contract under the terms defined by the Senate's Fourth Committee, that is, without transforming it into a regular employment contract. Furthermore, the possibility of establishing exceptions for microenterprises in the payment of nighttime surcharges was denied, which generated divisions among some business sectors and unions.

Some approved articles

One of the most controversial aspects of the reform is the change in the nighttime surcharge schedule . With the approved proposal, this surcharge will begin to be applied at 7 p.m., rather than at 9 p.m. as it currently does.

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This change has generated mixed reactions, as while labor rights advocates celebrate the change as a historic achievement, business owners warn of a possible increase in operating costs.

Also generating debate is the proposal to increase pay for Sundays and holidays from the current 75% to 100%, a measure that aims to dignify work on special shifts, but which could significantly increase the workload for certain sectors such as commerce and tourism.

Another key focus of the reform is the redefinition of job security. It should be noted that the approved text establishes that open-ended contracts will be the general rule in Colombia. Fixed-term contracts may only be signed for a maximum period of five years, after which they must be transformed. This, according to the government, seeks to reduce job insecurity, but it faces resistance from companies with high employee turnover.

Finally, the reform introduces a new additional bonus for employees of companies that register annual growth of more than 4%, in order to directly link business success with employee well-being.

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Thus, the discussion in Congress is progressing with signs of tension, but also with partial agreements that have allowed for the gradual voting on the articles.

Meanwhile, the government has shown signs of giving in on parallel fronts: there is talk of withdrawing the controversial "decree" and possibly abandoning the labor referendum, a strategy that sought to protect the reform in the event of a legislative collapse.

PORTFOLIO