Colombian government reveals questions planned to raise to voters in labor reform referendum

Bogota, Colombia (AP) – The Colombian government released content on Tuesday on a proposed referendum on the country’s labor law reforms that aims to give employees greater access to health benefits and overtime pay. However, if approved, it may become more difficult to create jobs in Latin America’s fourth largest economy.

The Ministry of the Interior published 12 questions planned to include in a national referendum, which is known as the popular consultation in Colombia. The date for the referendum has not been determined, which still requires approval from the Columbia Senate.

The questions asked voters whether they agreed or disagree with the reforms of Colombia’s labor law, including requiring food delivery platforms to provide health insurance for freelancers and requiring companies to pay employees twice as much as they work on Sunday.

Another question asked voters that “the work during the day should be from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.,” meaning that employees working outside of these hours should pay extra.

The government has previously proposed that companies pay employees a 35% bonus at any time they work outside of their regular daytime.

Business groups in Colombia oppose reforms, believing that they will make it more difficult for SMEs to provide workers with appropriate labor contracts, while encouraging them to informally hire people and pay in cash. The trade group also believes that government reforms are of no help in creating new jobs.

“The government’s reforms do not recognize the reality of Colombia’s 16 million informal workers and unemployed people,” said Jaime Alberto Cabal, president of the National Association of National Businessmen, in a video posted on X.

The referendum will also ask voters whether they should create a special fund to provide pensions to rural workers and whether they should be obliged to “hire at least two people with disabilities for every 100 workers.”

In his speech Monday, President Gustavo Petro said he would lead a Colombian Congress march on May 1 to put pressure on lawmakers to give a referendum.

“It’s time to make your own decision now,” Petro said in a national televised speech on Monday, arguing that the Colombian Congress has been trying to “deny the people” the right to decide their future.

The government’s push for referendum was the core of his economic agenda as the president of Colombia failed to get the country’s Senate to pass labor laws and health care legislation.

Petro is now trying to resolve this deadlock through some of his reforms through referendums, a move that the Colombian government has tried before.

Political analysts say that even if they are to workers seeking more rights, even if they sound attractive, it will be difficult for the president to get enough voters to support his advice.

Under Colombian law, at least one-third of the eligible voters in the United States must participate in a public consultation to recognize any legal weight. This means that the proposed referendum will require approximately 13 million votes to implement its results.

Petro won the 2022 presidential election with 11 million votes.

“There may be institutional players, such as unions, and they are very interested in it,” said Yan Basset, a political analyst at Rosario University in Bogota. “But their ability to mobilize voters is limited.”

Bassett said the referendum gave Petro a reason to mobilize his party base before next year’s presidential election, which gave the president’s party an election advantage.

But if the referendum fails, Bassett could also hurt the president because “the idea of ​​his representation on the interests of the people” will lose credibility.