Following last week’s defection of the legislative opposition, Petro signed a decree announcing voters’ summons to the polls in August to decide on the labor reform.
Important social policies that the left-wing leader has pushed for are included in the package, which includes an eight-hour workday, higher weekend and holiday pay, and required social security contributions from delivery app drivers.
The majority of Petro’s social and economic reforms, which were promised by him when he won the Andean presidency in 2022, have been rejected by the legislature.
The opposition criticized Petro’s decree, which argued that it violated Colombia’s three branches of government’s separation of powers.
The Senate must make a decision regarding the viability of referendums under Colombian law. Each measure would need to be approved by at least 13.5 million voters, or one-third of Colombia’s electoral roll, in order for the referendum to be held.
Political opponents claimed that Petro’s expensive referendum was actually intended to advance his party in the run-off of 2026.
The Senate on Tuesday approved a revised version of the labor reform bill after extensive discussion, with 57 votes in favor and 31 against.
The reform bill was originally rejected in April, but it was reinstated after Petro warned that he would hold a referendum to pass it in the open.
In a post on X that Petro shared, the presidency dubbed the bill “a historic step toward decent work.”
Advocates of Petro recently staged protests in Bogota and other major cities to show their support for his proposed labor reform.
Source: Aljazeera
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