The Seventh Commission of the House of Representatives of the Colombian Congress, on Tuesday, June 20, shelved the labor reform bill put forth by the country’s first leftist government led by President Gustavo Petro and Vice president Francia Márquez. The commission was scheduled to vote on the bill on Tuesday, the last day of the first legislative session. However, the voting could not take place due to lack of a quorum.
President Petro lamented the defeat of the bill in the Congress. “The collapse of the labor reform is very serious. It shows that the will for peace and a social pact does not exist in economic power,” he wrote in a tweet. The head of state pointed out that “the owners of capital and the media managed to co-opt Congress against the dignity of the working people. They believe that profits come from slavery, long hours and complete labor instability.”
Nevertheless, the president emphasized that “the government of change will not abandon the interests of working men and women.” “It continues to be true that there is no labor reform that can be won in the world without the working-class people in the streets and in social struggle,” he added.
The labor reform bill, which had been presented by Representative Maria Fernanda Carrascal of the Historic Pact coalition, sought to expand workers’ rights and improve working conditions. It proposed to reduce working hours and boost overtime pay. It suggested increasing remuneration for working on Sundays and holidays, as well as increasing compensation for unfair dismissal.
The initiative had been discussed only a couple of times in the commission. During the majority of sessions, the members of conservative parties had deliberately ended or left the sessions abruptly to avoid starting debate on the labor reform. Last week, after months, the report on the reform was finally approved by the commission.
This Tuesday, once again, the session was postponed several times due to power failures in the building. In spite of the extended schedule, few congressmen arrived at their work stations. Additionally, the opposition who attended the session filed several challenges against it. These acts were described as “tricks” to delay the discussion by the representatives who presented the initiative.
Legislator Maria Fernanda Carrascal, coordinator of the bill, told local media that “it was clear that through reckless challenges the opposition wanted to prevent the debate, but we will continue moving forward together with the workers. There will be labor reform, and we will have dignified and decent work in Colombia.”
The labor reform is one of the key initiatives of the Petro government to seek social changes in the country alongside healthcare and pension reforms. The Petro government may present the bill again to the extraordinary sessions or to the next session that will begin on July 20.
Several progressive leaders and trade unionists warned that what happened on Tuesday was “a part of the soft coup” that the president himself had been denouncing, as the country’s traditional parties and conservative sectors are not in favor of moving forward with these reforms.
