BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) 鈥 Colombia鈥檚 government Tuesday published the contents of a proposed referendum on reform of the nation鈥檚 labor laws, that seeks to give employees greater access to health benefits and overtime pay. If approved, however, it could make it harder to create jobs in Latin America鈥檚 fourth largest economy.
The Ministry of the Interior published 12 questions that it plans to include in a national referendum, known in Colombia as a popular consultation. A date hasn鈥檛 been set for the referendum, which still requires approval from Colombia鈥檚 Senate.
The questions ask voters if they agree or disagree with reforms to Colombia鈥檚 labor laws, including requiring food delivery platforms to provide health insurance for freelancers and requiring companies to pay their employees double their daily rate when they work on Sundays.
Another question asks voters if "daytime work should go from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.鈥 implying that employees working outside those hours should be paid extra.
The government has previously proposed that companies pay employees a 35% bonus for any time worked outside regular daytime hours.
Business groups in Colombia oppose the reforms, arguing they will make it harder for small and medium enterprises to provide proper labor contracts to their workers, while encouraging them to hire people informally, paying them in cash. Trade groups have also argued that the government's reforms do little to create new jobs.
鈥淭he government鈥檚 reforms do not recognize the reality of 16 million informal laborers and unemployed people in Colombia,鈥 Jaime Alberto Cabal, the president of Colombia鈥檚 好色tv Association of Merchants said in a video published on X.
The referendum will also ask voters if a special fund should be created to provide pensions to rural workers, and if companies should be obliged to hire 鈥渁t least two people with disabilities for every 100 workers.鈥
In a speech on Monday, said he will lead a march to Colombia鈥檚 Congress on May 1 to pressure legislators into giving the referendum a green light.
鈥淚t鈥檚 time for the people to make their own decisions鈥 Petro said Monday in a nationally televised speech, where he argued that Colombia鈥檚 Congress has been trying to 鈥渄eny the people鈥 the right to decide their future.
The government鈥檚 push for a referendum comes as Colombia鈥檚 president fails to get the nation鈥檚 Senate to pass legislation on labor laws and health care, which are central to his economic agenda.
Petro is now trying to get around this impasse by getting some of his reforms passed by way of a referendum, a move that no Colombian government has tried before.
Political analysts say it will be tough for the president to get enough voters to support his proposals, even if they sound attractive for workers seeking more rights.
Under Colombian law, at least one third of the nation鈥檚 eligible voters must participate in popular consultations for their results to carry any legal weight. That means the proposed referendum would need approximately 13 million votes for its results to be implemented.
Petro won the 2022 presidential election with 11 million votes.
鈥淭here might be institutional actors, such as labor unions, who are very interested in this referendum鈥 said Yan Basset a political analyst at Bogota鈥檚 Rosario University. 鈥淏ut their capacity to mobilize voters is limited.鈥
Basset said the referendum gives Petro a reason to mobilize his party鈥檚 bases, ahead of next year鈥檚 presidential election, giving the president's party somewhat of an electoral advantage.
But if the referendum does not pass, it could also hurt the president, Basset said, because 鈥渢he idea that he is representing the interests of the people鈥 would lose credibility.
