Colombia’s Labor Minister Rafael Pardo has ordered government institutions to stop using temporary workers, and has given them three weeks to report how many are on the payroll.
Pardo said state employees should be formally contracted and enjoy a full range of workers’ rights. Certain employees have been working informally for public bodies for many years, despite their positions being permanently required.
Pardo said, “They are paid, they perform duties, they are necessary for these institutions — so they must be given direct contracts.”
State-run institutions are being asked to submit a plan to the government explaining how they will formalize labor in their institutions.
The opposition Democratic Pole party found itself in agreement with the government for the first time – and congratulated Pardo on the proposal. Its leader, Jamie Dussan Calderon, said ending informal and temporary contracts had long been an aim of the party.
