This week, as part of International Women\u2019s Day, UNI Americas organized the\u00a0#LasMujeresReforman\u00a0in a bid to reduce gender inequality in Colombia. The forum, supported by FES Colombia, was particularly important ahead\u00a0of\u00a0the widely anticipated labour\u00a0reform that will be presented next week by the new government of Gustavo Petro.<\/p>\r\n
At the forum, trade unions and social organisations\u00a0urged\u00a0the\u00a0government to address structural\u00a0gender inequality in Colombia, and\u00a0stressed the importance of\u00a0ratifying\u00a0ILO Convention 190 against harassment and violence at work.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n In Colombia, women earn 20% less and are\u00a0often\u00a0exposed to violence and harassment in the workplace.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>“We want the\u00a0convention to be implemented by our affiliates,\u00a0and\u00a0to be able to use this tool\u00a0to give\u00a0a voice to marginalized workers in\u00a0Colombian society,” said Marcio Monzane, regional secretary of UNI Americas.\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\r\n “For the Ministry of Labour, it\u2019s fundamental to\u00a0talk about gender equity and labour gaps so that they can be included in the Reform,” said Magda Alberto<\/strong>, advisor on Equity, Equality and Women’s Rights at the Ministry of Labour. \u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n The Ministry of Labour collected over 4,000 proposals from different social groups and organizations on the labour reform. The public consultation took into account the opinions of LGBTI+ workers and sex workers for the first time ever in Colombia and underlined the need for change on precarious work and informal labour contracts. \u2002\u2002\u2002<\/p>\r\n On this point <\/span>Diana Salcedo, from the ILO Office in Colombia, said:<\/strong> “This labour reform\u00a0must make open-ended contracts the fundamental rule of the employment relationship in order to provide job stability.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n As it stands,\u00a0labour law in Colombia is only designed for workers who have a contract, and\u00a0trade unions are\u00a0seeking\u00a0to include all\u00a0forms of employment relationships in these new reforms.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n UNI affiliates in Colombia have played an active role in\u00a0pushing for labour reforms in the country.\u00a0“We have created a labour agenda we intend to defend,\u201d said<\/strong> Aida\u00a0Garz\u00f3n\u00a0from ACEB.<\/strong> \u201cWe must take\u00a0advantage of this historic moment\u00a0and ensure that these labour reforms cut across all the major issues through education, legislation and training.” \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n Finally, Mafe Carrascal, representative to the Chamber of Deputies, concluded:<\/strong> “We have\u00a0to\u00a0show the world that\u00a0we are ready to stand up and make a commitment to protect workers. We are going to push to ratify ILO Convention 190 and strive towards the world of work Colombia needs.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" This week, as part of International Women\u2019s Day, UNI Americas organized the\u00a0#LasMujeresReforman\u00a0in a bid to reduce gender inequality in Colombia. The forum, supported by FES Colombia, was particularly important ahead\u00a0of\u00a0the widely anticipated labour\u00a0reform that will be presented next week by the new government of Gustavo Petro. At the forum, trade unions and social organisations\u00a0urged\u00a0the\u00a0government to<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":9851,"template":"","categories":[41],"global-issues":[],"sectors":[],"cross-sector-groups":[25],"workers-rights":[],"regions":[86],"topics":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n