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%.
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Reuters
5 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
6 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."
The Independent
13 hours ago
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Officials arrest 1 of 2 detainees still missing from New Jersey immigration facility
One of the two detainees still missing after escaping from a New Jersey federal immigration detention center has been arrested, the FBI said Tuesday. Franklin Norberto Bautista-Reyes, from Honduras, has been taken into custody, FBI spokesperson Amy Thoreson said in an email. Andres Felipe Pineda-Mogollon, from Colombia, is still missing from Thursday night's escape, the bureau said. Bautista-Reyes and Pineda-Mogollon and two other men busted out of the Delaney Hall detention center in Newark during reports of disorder there by breaking through a wall and escaping from a parking lot, according to U.S. Sen. Andy Kim, a New Jersey Democrat, and Homeland Security officials. All four men were in the country illegally and had been charged by local police in New Jersey and New York City, federal officials said. Bautista-Reyes was charged in May with aggravated assault, attempt to cause bodily injury, terroristic threats and a weapon crime. Pineda-Mogollon, from Colombia, was charged with minor larceny and burglary crimes. The details surrounding Bautista-Reyes' capture were not immediately clear. Messages seeking information were sent to the FBI and the Homeland Security Department, which oversees Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The FBI on Monday had increased the reward for information leading to their arrest to $25,000 from $10,000. Joel Enrique Sandoval-Lopez, one of the other fugitives, was taken into custody in Passaic, New Jersey, on Friday, the day after the escape in nearby Newark. Then, on Sunday, Joan Sebastian Castaneda-Lozada surrendered to federal authorities in Milleville, New Jersey. Sandoval-Lopez, from Honduras, was charged with unlawful possession of a handgun in October and aggravated assault in February, officials said. Castaneda-Lozada, from Colombia, was charged with burglary, theft and conspiracy, authorities said. A message seeking comment on behalf of the men was left Tuesday with the New Jersey public defender's office. It's unclear who may be representing the men. Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, a Democrat who's been critical of President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown, cited reports of a possible uprising and escape after disorder broke out at the facility Thursday night and protesters outside the center locked arms and pushed against barricades as vehicles passed through gates. Much is still unclear about what unfolded there. But GEO Group, the company that owns and operates the detention facility for the federal government, said in a statement that there was 'no widespread unrest' at the facility. Delaney Hall has been the site of clashes this year between Democratic officials who say the facility needs more oversight and the Trump administration and those who run the facility. Baraka was arrested May 9, handcuffed and charged with trespassing. The charge was later dropped and U.S. Democratic Rep. LaMonica McIver was later charged with assaulting federal officers stemming from a skirmish that happened outside the facility. She has denied the charges.
