BOGOTA: Lawmakers in Colombia on Wednesday as soon as once more blocked President Gustavo Petro‘s efforts to overtake the nation’s labor legal guidelines, this time by rejecting a referendum that will have requested voters whether or not workdays ought to be restricted to eight hours and whether or not staff ought to obtain double pay in the event that they work throughout holidays.Petro requested Congress earlier this month to approve the 12-question referendum to present voters an opportunity to determine on the adjustments that lawmakers themselves had already rejected twice. He had warned lawmakers towards blocking the referendum, saying earlier than hundreds of individuals gathered for a Labor Day demonstration on Could 1 that if they didn’t approve it, Colombians would punish them on the polls throughout the 2026 legislative elections.After an intense debate Wednesday, 49 senators voted towards the measure and 47 in favor.Petro, Colombia’s first leftist president, characterised the vote as fraudulent. He has repeatedly accused lawmakers of blocking his social initiatives and ignoring the calls for of Colombians.Had lawmakers authorised the referendum, voters would have answered questions akin to whether or not daytime workdays ought to finish at 6 p.m. and whether or not open-ended contracts ought to be supplied to staff to prioritize job stability.In a not often used maneuver, a gaggle of congressmen on Wednesday efficiently appealed the March dismissal of Petro’s proposed labor reform. The transfer permits lawmakers to once more debate his proposals and probably approve them. Lawmakers face a June 20 deadline to take action.
