‘Decent work’, a central axis of the labor recovery

Although after the passage of the pandemic, the Colombian economy and the labor market have been gradually recovering, remnants have remained along the way, as of informality and lack of social coverage, which are vital to correct them to improve the quality of life of the population.

(Read: 58% of unemployed did not complete high school).

In this sense, the Office of the International Labor Organization (ILO) for the Andean Countries requires a new approach to coverage, based on a decent work national policywith three concrete actions to amend this situation.

A report that fits in sync with the arrival of a new national government that in the first weeks has marked public opinion with its employability proposals, among them, insisting to the private sector with greater emphasis on formalization.

“Today more than ever it is necessary to promote, maintain and strengthen institutional spaces for social dialogue so that they include an agenda of measures for economic reactivation centered on people, calling together all the actors in the world of work.”, said Italo Cardona, director of the ILO Office for the Andean Countries.

The director of the labor organization explained that in the country there has been no national public policy for decent work, which “it is necessary to develop” with an approach “focused on people, with concrete actions to fulfill the State’s commitments and the fundamental principles and rights at work”.

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With this background panorama, a people-centered recovery policy goes through three routes: promote the formalization and generation of decent work; ensure social protection and effective management of transitions.

On the first point about formalization, the UN subsidiary organization highlights four points to implement. One of them is the participatory formulation and implementation of public policies for decent work at departmental and local levels with special emphasis on the rural sector and PDET municipalitiesan action “that contributes to the implementation of the Peace Agreement”.

It also highlights the recommendation to design and implement employment programs focused on cities with lower labor force participation rates, moving to a demand-based job creation approach.
Other points that it recommends is to establish an agenda to promote business and labor formalization in emerging and rural economies, and the development of programs with a population focus.

Regarding the second axis, on social protection, the ILO needs to advance in the recommendation of a social protection floor that establishes a comprehensive social security system and the extension of its coverage.

Likewise, it maintains that gender gaps should be reduced by developing, among others, a national care system based on the recommendations and measures of the organization focused on the 5R of reduction, redistribution, recognition, representation and reward.

For Italo Cardona, ILO leader for the Andean countries, “emphasis should be placed on strengthening social security and health programs at work, focused on rural workers,” and strengthening policy measures to “prevent and address cases of violence and harassment in the workplace, through the improvement or creation of new care services”.

The director also emphasizes establishing mechanisms so that the migrant population can “integrate socially, economically and culturally in the country and increase their effective access to protection systems.”

The third hinge is management of transitions for this recovery of decent work.

One of these, a transition from school to work, implies recommendations such as developing a model of relevance from professional training to align supply with the needs of demand to close gaps according to the “particularities of the territory”. In addition, it is key to develop policies that have young people as a central axis.

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On the other hand, in the Afro, Raizal, Palenquero, indigenous territories, among others, the organization recommends the implementation of its agreement 169 for the design of projects within green and decent jobs programs.

Roberto Casas-Lugo