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TUC backs Colombia's labour reform as vital to improve worker's rights and to tackle endemic anti-union violence

Since Colombia’s first progressive government was elected two years ago, with support from the national trade union movement, the TUC has been encouraged by the focus placed on promoting fairer working conditions and pay, constructive engagement with trade unions and tackling anti-union violence.

Central to these ambitious goals has been the government’s labour reform bill, developed under the leadership of Labour Minister and trade unionist Gloria Ramírez in consultation with trade unions. The bill has been presented in congress alongside other social reforms in healthcare, education and pensions. Only the last of these has so far been fully approved.

The TUC welcomes advances made by the labour reform, which in June passed its first congressional debate with further debates pending. It is a concern, however, that articles over the right to strike and to collective negotiation were removed prior to the reform’s approval under pressure from the opposition in congress, where the government lacks a majority. According to Colombia’s CUT trade union federation, these guarantees over fundamental trade union rights would align Colombian labour law with international standards as recommended by the International Labour Organisation (ILO).

For too long, Colombian workers have suffered exploitation and poor conditions. Since the government’s election, Colombia – for the first time in years – has been listed outside the world’s worst ten countries for workers' rights in the International Trade Union Confederation’s (ITUC) annual Global Rights Index. However, major challenges remain to ensure dignity and fairness for workers, particularly in low-paid and informal sectors.

Furthermore, the ITUC again names Colombia the world’s most dangerous country for organised labour, with 11 trade unionists murdered in the 12-month period preceding June 2024. This continues the appalling violence that killed 3,323 trade unionists in Colombia between 1971 and 2023. Such aggression is intended to weaken the trade union movement – which the government recognised last year as a collective victim of the armed conflict – and entrench conditions that maximise corporate profits while imposing economic hardship on millions of people.

The TUC continues to campaign in support of Colombian trade unionism, human rights and peace through our partner organisation, Justice for Colombia. While the removal of the labour reform’s articles on trade union rights is unfortunate, the TUC hopes they will be resubmitted in the current legislative period. We strongly urge congress to approve them, as such an outcome would have important benefits for working people in Colombia.

We continue to stand in solidarity with Colombia's trade unions and their allies in this vital effort.