The Colombia Briefing | 23rd June

🗞️ After nearly two years of dialogue and debate, the government labour reform has now passed into law: the bill was voted through the Senate on Friday by 57 votes to 31.

The law’s provisions include the extension of hours considered night-shift work, increased pay for work on public holidays and Sundays, and limits on fixed-term contracts.

The government’s parallel plan to hold a referendum to pass labour and health reform measures has therefore been shelved. Petro repealed the executive decree, known as the ‘decretazo,’ though it had already been rejected as unconstitutional by the Council of State, and put on pause by the Registrar.

Also this week, the Constitutional Court returned the pension reform to Congress - to the Chamber of Deputies – for debate, effectively giving the bill another chance to pass during the next legislative period.

As promised, however, President Gustavo Petro will now be pursuing his alternative plan for far-reaching reform: a Constituent Assembly - a mechanism to alter the constitution. Petro announced this week that, at next year’s elections, voters will also be asked to vote on the creation of the Assembly.

🗞️ In other legislative news, a trans rights bill has now passed its first debate in Congress, with four debates to go. The law seeks to guarantee basic rights to health, education, and employment without discrimination.

Measures proposed include a right to identification according to gender identity, modification of sex and name in the civil registry, and exemption of trans people from compulsory military service. It also proposes adding an aggravating circumstance to femicide to include transfemicide, transvesticide, and homicide on the grounds of diverse gender identity.

Articles eliminated during the first debate include the establishment of rights in sports, recreation, and culture, as well as measures to protect sex workers with diverse gender identities.

The law is named after Sara Millerey, the trans woman who was tortured and murdered in Antioquia earlier this year. According to Caribe Afirmativo, a human rights organisation, 45 LGBTQ+ people have been killed in Colombia so far this year, 19 of whom were transgender people.

🗞️ The Colombian army has confirmed the illegal capture and detention of 57 of its soldiers by civilians, acting under pressure from local armed groups in Cauca last week.