Why the labor reform law has not been signed and when it will be ready

Last Friday, June 20, the full Congress of the Republic (Senate and House plenary sessions) gave the final approval to the labor reform, one of the most important bills of Gustavo Petro's administration. Following this approval, the initiative was expected to become law on Saturday the 21st, while the head of state participated in a public event in Medellín, but that did not happen.

(See: A body of inspectors will be created to enforce labor reform .)

What happened? Why wasn't the Labor Law signed? As explained by Labor Minister Antonio Sanguino on Monday, June 23, in a conversation with Caracol Radio, the reform couldn't be signed because the final conciliation agreement still needs to be fully approved by the presidents and secretaries of the Senate and the House of Representatives.

" The final document must be signed by the presidents and secretaries of the Senate and the House of Representatives, so that President Gustavo Petro and the ministers of the Interior and Labor can then sign it (...) As far as we know, the signature of the president of the Senate (Efraín Cepeda) is missing ," Sanguino told the station.

(See: Labor reform: five keys to understanding what was approved and how it will be applied ).

Asked when the labor law would finally become law, he stated that they are waiting for the fully signed approval from Congress to reach the President's legal office and that the long-awaited law would be signed on Wednesday, June 25.

What was approved

After failing in the Senate's Seventh Committee, labor reform was revived on May 14, when the Senate plenary gave it a second chance and defeated a referendum the government had proposed on issues related to Colombian labor.

In one month and one week, the bill was fully tested, with 70 articles modifying contracting conditions, night surcharges, platform work, and the rights of traditionally precarious sectors.

(See: How hiring rules in Colombia change with labor reform .)

Some of the most important points that were approved were:

- The night surcharge, currently in effect from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m., will now apply from 7:00 p.m.

- Pay for working on Sundays and holidays, which currently carries a 75% surcharge, will increase to 100%.

- Open-ended contracts become the general rule. Fixed-term contracts may only be renewed up to four times before becoming open-ended.

- Service provision contracts for permanent tasks in the public sector are eliminated .

- The apprenticeship contract for SENA students will be considered an employment relationship with legal benefits. Apprentices will receive 50% of the minimum wage during the academic phase, 75% during the practical phase, and up to 100% if their training is dual.

(See: Labor reform: how the new night and Sunday surcharges will be applied ):

The approval of the labor law was celebrated by President Petro, who said that " the constituted power that makes the laws obeyed the sovereign power that is the people. Now we must comply with the law. I will call on the country's business community to agree on the real application of the law, no more substantive labor codes for decoration ."

Waiting for the pension

The National Government is also awaiting notification from the Constitutional Court to the House of Representatives to resolve the "procedural defect" in the bill. Once this occurs, which is expected to be this Tuesday, June 24, the House will have 30 days to resolve the Court's request, allowing the high court to issue a final ruling on the pension.

If more days are needed, they can be used, according to the Court, but the government hopes for a resolution soon and will therefore call for extraordinary sessions.

For now, the implementation of the pension reform is suspended. It was originally expected to come into effect on July 1, 2025.

PORTFOLIO