Colombia: Progress on the Ratification Process of International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention 190

The current status of the debate in the Congress regarding the ratification of ILO Convention 190

On February 16th, 2024, a bill was introduced in the Congress of Colombia aiming to ratify, comply with, and implement the International Labour Organization Convention 190. The introduction of this bill received support from workers, the Colombian government, and employers.

According to this information, the Convention 190 is expected to be ratified in the coming months.

The key aspects of the bill regarding the harassment and violence in the workplace are:

• The Convention considers that it is enough that the behaviour occurs on a single occasion to constitute violence and harassment. Thus, modifying the requirement of persistence over time as stipulated by current Colombian law.
• If the Convention is ratified, it would be necessary to modify current regulations to extend protection to independent service providers, freelancers, and other forms of employment beyond formal employment contracts, including trainees, apprentices, dismissed workers, volunteers, and job applicants within companies.
• Likewise, the convention extends workplace protection to include harassment conditions. It outlines an extension of protection to journeys between home and the workplace, an issue that will likely require further development.
• This regulation will require companies to develop policies and protocols aimed at preventing and addressing violence and harassment in the workplace and establishing secure and confidential reporting channels.
• Another innovative aspect of the Convention, compared to existing regulations, are the effects of domestic violence and the mitigation of its impact in the workplace, as a component of worker protection.
• This Convention reaffirms the need for ongoing training and workshops to be conducted for workers in the workplace, aimed at raising awareness and promoting harassment-free and violence-free work environments.

 

Next Steps:

The bill will be discussed in the next three debates in the Colombian Congress. Once these debates are successfully concluded and approved by Congress, the bill will be sanctioned by the President, thereby becoming law.

It is important to note that as soon as this Convention is approved by the Congress, an update will be provided accordingly.