Two new decisions were announced this Thursday by the Colombian Ministry of Labor: the unification of union collectives and the way to pay for disabilities.
The Minister of Labor, Ángel Custodio Cabrera, was invited to participate in the Colombia-United States Bicentennial Summit, which commemorates the 200th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries and was organized by the Colombian-American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham). From there he made both announcements.
With regard to work disabilities, the head of the portfolio assured that companies' finances are being affected by the current way of paying this right to workers. The law says that the employer pays the first two days of disability and, in theory, the health service provider (EPS) must pay the following.
However, that payment ends up being a corporate loan to the EPS that can take up to seven months to pay off. According to Minister Cabrera, the deficit caused among employers by this way of paying for disabilities would be exceeding the trillion-peso line; this particularly affects small and medium-sized companies with little margin of risk.
Then, the minister announced that, “we are going to start talks so that these disabilities intersect with the contribution to health that the employer makes and does not affect the cash box”, thereby eliminating a link in the chain.
Another announcement by the official who soon aroused controversy was that of the unification of trade union associations. According to Cabrera, “we need to start ending this proliferation of paper trade union organizations. At a certain point, in collective bargaining, many entrepreneurs today are faced with the fact that they will be presented with 100 or 500 sheets.”
The solution that the minister proposes is to press for the consolidation of the lists of demands of trade unions when collective bargaining takes place: “not one hundred sheets can appear but only one and the representativity of trade union organizations must be used”.
During the AmCham summit, Cabrera highlighted that his portfolio is carrying out several projects to improve access to employment for Colombians. In addition to initiatives to employ young people and women — the most vulnerable to the situation of unemployment — she recalled the Know-How to Vale project, which seeks to certify empirical knowledge with the National Learning Service (SENA) to make it valid to formal employers.
“An example: you are a plumber and you know how to do a lot of things, but no one certifies you. Today, with the help of SENA and all the instruments, we can certify it,” said the minister, who recalled that there was an experience with three thousand people, including migrants, to include them in the labor market with these certifications.
Remember the requirements to be part of the program, if it is of interest to you:
Be a mother or father head of household: they have permanent responsibility for minor children or persons with disabilities to work.
Take care of persons: anyone who, even if they do not have a direct family link, is solely responsible, economically and socially for anyone under the age of 18, or for people over 60 years of age or older, or for people with disabilities.
To be young between 18 and 28 years old: this condition is accredited through the identity document. You must be of age at the time you register for the program.
Belong to some population group with an ethnic focus: anyone who identifies as Afro-Colombian, indigenous, or Rrom — Gypsy.
Belonging to the LGBTIQ+ population: anyone who identifies as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer, non-binary or with a diverse sexual orientation and/or gender identity.
Being a senior citizen (60 years or older): this condition is accredited through the identity document. You must be of age at the time you register for the program.
Be migrants: any foreign person who enters Colombian territory and is regularly in the country.
Be returnees: any Colombian citizen who returns to the country and is registered in the Single Registry of Returnees (RUR).
Be classified in levels A, B or C of the Sisbén. The consultation and evidence of the Sisbén document will be done directly by the program operator
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