Colombia's Senate approves labor reform amid tension with Petro
Colombia's President Gustavo Petro speaks during the rally for peace and democracy at San Francisco Square in Cali, Colombia June 11, 2025. REUTERS/Sebastian Marmolejo/File Photo
BOGOTA - 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
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
10 minutes ago
- Straits Times
India's Modi tells Trump there was no US mediation in ceasefire with Pakistan
FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi shake hands as they attend a joint press conference at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., February 13, 2025. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo India's Modi tells Trump there was no US mediation in ceasefire with Pakistan NEW DELHI - India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi told U.S. President Donald Trump late on Tuesday that a ceasefire between India and Pakistan after a four-day conflict in May was achieved through talks between the two militaries and not U.S. mediation, India's senior-most diplomat said. Trump had said last month that the nuclear-armed South Asian neighbours agreed to a ceasefire after talks mediated by the U.S., and that the hostilities ended after he urged the countries to focus on trade instead of war. India has previously denied any third-party mediation and Tuesday's phone call between Modi and Trump on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Canada, which Modi attended as a guest, is their first direct exchange since the May 7-10 conflict. "PM Modi told President Trump clearly that during this period, there was no talk at any stage on subjects like India-U.S. trade deal or U.S. mediation between India and Pakistan," Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said in a press statement. "Talks for ceasing military action happened directly between India and Pakistan through existing military channels, and on the insistence of Pakistan. Prime Minister Modi emphasised that India has not accepted mediation in the past and will never do," he said. Misri said the two leaders were due to meet on the sidelines of G7 summit but Trump left a day early due to the situation in the Middle East. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the Modi-Trump call. Pakistan has previously said that the ceasefire happened after its military returned a call the Indian military had initiated on May 7. The heaviest fighting in decades between India and Pakistan was sparked by an April 22 attack in Indian Kashmir that killed 26 people, most of them tourists. New Delhi blamed the incident on "terrorists" backed by Pakistan, a charge denied by Islamabad. On May 7, Indian jets bombed what New Delhi called "terrorist infrastructure" sites across the border, triggering tit-for-tat strikes spread over four days in which both sides used fighter jets, missiles, drones and artillery. Misri said that Trump expressed his support for India's fight against terrorism and that Modi told him India's Operation Sindoor under which it launched the cross border strikes was still on. Trump also asked Modi if he could stop by the U.S. on his return from Canada, Misri said, but the Indian leader expressed his inability to do so due to a pre-decided schedule. He invited Trump to visit India later this year for the summit of the leaders of the Quad grouping, which Trump accepted, Misri said. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Business Times
17 minutes ago
- Business Times
UK inflation slows in May but food prices jump
[LONDON] British inflation slowed as expected in May, pulled down by air fares which leapt in April and the correction of a tax data error, although food prices shot up at the fastest rate in more than a year. Consumer prices rose in annual terms by 3.4 per cent in May, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said on Wednesday (Jun 18), just as a Reuters poll of economists and the Bank of England had predicted. Services price inflation – a crucial metric for the BOE – cooled to 4.7 per cent from 5.4 per cent in April, matching the BOE's forecast for May. The Reuters poll had pointed to a reading of 4.8 per cent. Earlier this month the ONS said April's headline consumer price inflation reading of 3.5 per cent had been overstated by 0.1 percentage points due to an error in car tax data from the government. April's figures were not amended, but the correct data was used for May's readings. Air fares fell sharply after an Easter holiday spike in April's readings. BT in your inbox Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox. Sign Up Sign Up The data are unlikely to shift interest rate expectations among economists and investors, who think the BOE will leave borrowing costs on hold when it announces its June policy decision on Thursday. Sterling rose slightly against the US dollar after the ONS data release. Gas, electricity and water prices rose in April alongside higher taxes on employers, causing inflation to leap from 2.6 per cent in March. A rise in oil prices since the start of the Iran-Israel conflict last week could cause inflation to rise again. Food prices rose by 4.4 per cent in the 12 months to May, the biggest increase in over a year, the ONS said, a blow for low-income households. Some BOE officials have said they disagree with the central bank's key assumption reached at its May meeting that the recent climb in inflation will not have longer-running effects on pricing behaviour. Chief economist Huw Pill said last month the pace of interest rate cuts was too fast given still strong wage pressures on inflation, but his vote in May to keep borrowing costs on hold was likely to be 'a skip' not a halt to rate cuts. Market pricing on Tuesday pointed to an 87 per cent chance that the BOE will leave rates on hold this week, with two 0.25 percentage-point cuts priced in by the year's end. The BOE lowered rates by a quarter point to 4.25 per cent on May 8 in a three-way split vote, with two Monetary Policy Committee members favouring a bigger cut and two – including Pill – favouring a hold. The central bank said in May it expects inflation to peak at about 3.7 per cent later this year. Some economists think April might prove to be the high point, although the conflict in the Middle East poses a risk of stronger price pressures. REUTERS
Straits Times
22 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Israel launches airlift to bring home stranded citizens after Iran strike
Passengers from the Crown Iris, a cruise ship, board a bus at the port of Larnaca, Cyprus, June 18, 2025. REUTERS/Yiannis Kourtoglou Passengers from the Crown Iris, a cruise ship, wait to board buses at the port of Larnaca, Cyprus, June 18, 2025. REUTERS/Yiannis Kourtoglou Passengers from the Crown Iris, a cruise ship, board buses at the port of Larnaca, Cyprus, June 18, 2025. REUTERS/Yiannis Kourtoglou A view of the Crown Iris, a vessel which will be used to assist in the departure of Israelis from Cyprus, is seen off the coast of Larnaca, Cyprus June 18, 2025. REUTERS/Yiannis Kourtoglou TEL AVIV - Israel began flying home citizens stranded abroad on Wednesday, launching a phased airlift operation after the country's surprise military strike on Iran left tens of thousands of Israelis stuck overseas. The first rescue flight, operated by national carrier El Al, touched down at Ben Gurion Airport early Wednesday morning, bringing home passengers from Larnaca, Cyprus. Worldwide, Israel's transport ministry estimates that more than 50,000 stranded Israelis are trying to come home. El Al has said repatriation flights are already scheduled from Athens, Rome, Milan and Paris. Smaller rivals Arkia and Israir are also taking part in the operation. "We are preparing for the airlift to bring all Israelis home," Transportation Minister Miri Regev told the captain of the arriving El Al flight before it landed, according to a statement released by the Israeli Aviation Authority. "We are very emotional about receiving the first rescue flight as part of 'Safe Return'. Land safely," she added. Tel Aviv's airport has been closed to passenger traffic since Israel launched its attack on Friday. The Airports Authority reinforced staffing on Wednesday to ensure the arriving passengers exited the airport quickly. They were shuttled to their parked vehicles or transported via train and bus to city centres nationwide. The operation is being carried out in stages, based on risk levels and security assessments, with an emphasis on the safety of passengers, flight crews, and aircraft, a spokesperson for the airports authority said. Relatives were advised to avoid travelling to airports for security reasons. Iran has fired more than 400 ballistic missiles at Israel since Friday, a large number of them targeting the Tel Aviv area. At least 24 people have died so far in the strikes. There are still be no passenger flights leaving Israel, meaning up to 40,000 tourists are stranded in the country. El Al has cancelled all scheduled flights through to June 23. Large numbers of Israelis seeking to get home have converged on Cyprus, the European Union member state closest to Israel. Flights from the coastal city of Larnaca to Tel Aviv take 50 minutes. Nine flights were expected to depart Cyprus Wednesday for Haifa, and four for Tel Aviv, carrying about 1,000 people, sources in Cypriot airport operator Hermes said. Cruise operator Mano Maritime, whose "Crown Iris" ship carries 2,000 passengers, has said it will make two crossings from Cyprus to Israel's Mediterranean port city of Haifa. Earlier on Wednesday, a cruise ship arrived in Cyprus carrying 1,500 participants to a Jewish heritage programme who had left Israel on Tuesday. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
