With the draft that was released in the last hours, the workers already have a clearer idea of the aspects that support the companies labour reform that will be settled in the Congress of the Republic, once the ordinary sessions will begin on March 16.
In an interview with EL TIEMPO, María Claudia Lacouture, president of the Colombian American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham Colombia), talks about the effects that the changes being proposed could have on the job creation and productivity.
(Also read: Labor reform: what changes for people who work on platforms?)
What risks do you see in the draft of the labor reform bill?
We do not have a definitive official document on which we can comment, but we consider that the legislation must respond to the new realities of the market, it must stimulate the formal employment, guarantee the productivity of companies and modernize the system, to synchronize it with the changes in society, to the influence of technology, so that it adjusts to the new generations, to their perspectives and expectations about a way of life.
The system must be more flexible and overcome the old rhetoric that the more guarantees the more stability. We have to adjust the system so that the dominant informality and threatening illegality cease to have support in the heavy regulatory structures.
The private sector is the most interested in a reform, but in a reform that allows it to create more jobs and grow
It is important to focus a lot on the labor crisis in the countryside. Young people emigrate, workers seek better conditions in the urban environment and we are facing a situation that threatens food security.
We have to look for options, arouse interest so that people from the countryside return, so that working the land has attractions, that the always and the harvest return to the dynamics of other times and for which there must be a flexible regulation that take into account seasonal conditions, among other variables.
The private sector is the most interested in a reform, but in a reform that allows it to create more jobs and grow; is the main interest in having the conditions for a balance to exist between fair remuneration for workers and a regulation that avoids a disproportionate increase in labor costs for companies in such a way that in the medium and long term the number of workers is reduced. formal positions or that goods and services become more expensive for the consumer in order to cover this greater investment.
It is an issue that must be looked at carefully, especially at a time of high inflation and where it is also sought to maintain the corresponding contributions to the social security system.
(Read also: This would be the contracts for the provision of services with the labor reform)
Will adjusting the terms of the contracts improve the labor quality of the workers?
In my opinion, the conditions must be viable, modern and flexible. The new generations do not claim the possibility of screwing themselves into a position, on the contrary, they want to feel more free, more than guarantees against dismissal they want timeEmotional salary, fair treatment and opportunities.
Having a human resource that has adequate remuneration is in the interest of the private sector. Without them there would be no goods or services, companies would not grow.
Companies always seek the well-being of their teams and there must be a balance that Facilitate the generation of employment and the contracting of services so that the business exercise is competitive.
What will be the impact of cutting the daytime shift?
Impose burdens on companies always will impact productivity and job creation. You have to look for more creative options that are beneficial to everyone. But putting more weight on the business fabric will impact the entire productive system, and if costs increase, the price of products and services increases and the inflationary chain is stimulated.
The increase in employment and opportunities has occurred thanks to the possibility of having competitive days in weekday fines and night shifts. What we must try now is to balance the equation between rules and logic so that whoever wants to work more earns more and freedoms are respected. Many times the rules go against the worker himself.
From the Colombian American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham Colombia) we have stated that it is essential maintain dialogue between the public and private sectors and with the legislature, in due course, so that these reforms are made taking into account the considerations of all sectors.
In Colombia, the largest generator of employment is the private sector and it is the main ally of the Government within the common objective of having a prosperous economywith development and that represents income for all Colombians.
