Court says Colombia lower house must re-do vote on pension reform
BOGOTA, June 17 (Reuters) - Colombia's constitutional court said in a ruling on Tuesday that the country's lower house must re-do a vote on a major pension reform approved last year because of a procedural irregularity, though it did not rule on the law's constitutionality.
The law, approved by the lower house in June 2024 after prior approval in the Senate, is meant to strengthen state pension fund Colpensiones, reduce subsidies and increase coverage for those without sufficient savings.
The bill was meant to come into force next month, but will not be valid until the court approves it, the ruling added.
"With the intent of compensating for the procedural irregularity which occurred," lawmakers in the lower house must vote on the text of the law approved by the Senate and already published in the official gazette, the ruling said.
The lower house has 30 days, counted only when it is in session, to conduct the vote, it added.
Interior Minister Armando Benedetti told reporters President Gustavo Petro would call extra sessions, as the current legislative session ends on Friday.
"The pension reform has been saved," Petro said on X. "I ask the lower house to discuss in depth the article which would approve the Senate's text and to back it."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Reuters
2 hours ago
- Reuters
French unions, employers set to hold last-ditch pensions talks next week
PARIS, June 18 (Reuters) - French unions and employers negotiating changes to a 2023 pension reform are set to hold last-ditch talks next week, even as at least one major participant was not sure if it would join. Prime Minister Francois Bayrou had agreed earlier this year to reopen the subject of pensions for talks between unions and employers as he aimed to win support from Socialists to survive no-confidence votes introduced by other opposition parties eager to topple him. But months of talks ended on Tuesday without an agreement, and another "last chance" meeting has been set for June 23. Patrick Martin, president of Medef, which represents employers, said in an interview with France 2 that the group may not participate, saying: "We were not the ones who asked for the reform to be reexamined." Labour minister, Astrid Panosyan-Bouvet, told Franceinfo some progress had been made though a larger agreement remained elusive. "We must continue because the way forward is possible," she said. Unions want to roll back an unpopular 2023 reform that gradually raises the retirement age from 62 to 64, but employers are concerned doing so would require more payroll contributions. Bayrou, a long-time debt hawk, has said all options were on the table as long as any modifications ensure a pensions funding gap is plugged by the end of the decade. France's pensions system was close to balanced last year but is expected to show a deficit of 0.2% of GDP by the end of the decade and 1.4% by 2070 even with the 2023 reform, according to the national pension advisory's annual report. French pension spending is among the highest in the world at 14% of GDP last year, with two-thirds paid for by current workers and employers' payroll contributions. The rest is financed by hefty taxes and costly state transfers, with virtually no role for private pension funds common elsewhere in developed countries. According to an Elabe poll for BFM TV, 70% of French people believe the current system is not financially sound, yet 63% oppose raising the retirement age, which some economists say is the most effective way of propping up the system's finances.
Reuters
9 hours ago
- Reuters
Colombia's Senate approves labor reform amid tension with Petro
BOGOTA, June 17 (Reuters) - Colombia's Senate on Tuesday approved a modified and much-debated labor reform bill, after President Gustavo Petro decreed a referendum to seek direct approval from voters for the initiative. The bill, which includes measures to enshrine an eight-hour daytime work day, increase weekend and holiday pay and require social security payments from delivery app drivers, was approved by 57 lawmakers, while 31 opposed it. Petro decreed the 12-question referendum last week, in a bid to force the Senate to vote on the reform before the end of its session on June 20 and in defiance of his political opposition, who say the vote would disregard institutional norms and threaten Colombia's separation of powers. Lawmakers in May rejected the referendum in a tight 49 to 47 vote. Petro said that vote was fraudulent and decreed the referendum take place. "The government is satisfied, we have managed, vote by vote, article by article, a new democratic, progressive labor legislation," Labor Minister Antonio Sanguino said. The approved reform will immediately increase wages for work conducted from 7 p.m. onward and gradually increase the surcharge for Sunday and holiday work through July 2027. Under the law, workers for popular delivery apps like Rappi, who are independent contractors, will be required to make social security contributions. Meanwhile, the apps will be barred from demanding exclusivity from contractors and must provide human supervision of their algorithms. Analysts' estimates for increased labor costs as a result of the bill range from 6.8% to 35%.
Reuters
10 hours ago
- Reuters
Court says Colombia lower house must re-do vote on pension reform
BOGOTA, June 17 (Reuters) - Colombia's constitutional court said in a ruling on Tuesday that the country's lower house must re-do a vote on a major pension reform approved last year because of a procedural irregularity, though it did not rule on the law's constitutionality. The law, approved by the lower house in June 2024 after prior approval in the Senate, is meant to strengthen state pension fund Colpensiones, reduce subsidies and increase coverage for those without sufficient savings. The bill was meant to come into force next month, but will not be valid until the court approves it, the ruling added. "With the intent of compensating for the procedural irregularity which occurred," lawmakers in the lower house must vote on the text of the law approved by the Senate and already published in the official gazette, the ruling said. The lower house has 30 days, counted only when it is in session, to conduct the vote, it added. Interior Minister Armando Benedetti told reporters President Gustavo Petro would call extra sessions, as the current legislative session ends on Friday. "The pension reform has been saved," Petro said on X. "I ask the lower house to discuss in depth the article which would approve the Senate's text and to back it."
