After the Constitutional Court temporarily suspended the legal framework regulating part-time work in Guatemala, a new proposal advances in Congress.
This is bill 5477 has received a favorable opinion from the Labor Commission of the Congress of the Republic and is pending discussion in the plenary of deputies.
Arguing that the regulations contradict some articles of the Political Constitution, in Guatemala union groups brought an action against the agreement that allows companies to hire part-time personnel.
After years of discussion, on June 27th Governmental Agreement 89-2019 was published in the Official Gazette. This Agreement establishes the Regulations of Convention 175 of the International Labor Organization (ILO), which will regulate the hiring of part-time personnel in the country.
Although working from home is considered a non-wage incentive because of the flexibility and benefits it provides to the employee, this mode of work is not yet a trend for companies in Guatemala.
Implementing work from home or home office, is a modality increasingly popular among executives and professionals who see the benefits that telecommuting provides. However, this forces companies to make certain changes that, it seems, not all are willing to make.
The power of public employees' guilds in the country was evidenced by the agreement that authorities of the Social Security Fund agreed to sign in order that employees of the entity may continue to enjoy privileges to the detriment of others.
EDITORIAL
Arguing that "judicializing" the strike was the only and best way out that could be achieved in the short term, the highest authorities of the Costa Rican Social Security Fund (CCSS) complied with the pressures of trade guild members, who with the desire to maintain the differential treatment they have enjoyed for many years, suspended access to basic health services, even carrying out actions as despicable as closing a blood bank and paralyzing equipment for cancer treatment.
Businessmen from Central America and the Dominican Republic ask that ILO Convention 190 not be ratified, arguing that countries already have regulations to deal with violence and harassment in the workplace.
The Federation of Private Entities of Central America, Panama and the Dominican Republic (Fedepricap), through a statement dated August 9, reported that they agreed to request from the governments "... the non-ratification of Convention 190 of the International Labor Office (ILO), on which there was already a declaration against employers, with the purpose of not harming the generation of jobs.
Finally, in Guatemala the agreement was approved that will allow companies to hire part-time workers, which promises to be part of the solution to the unemployment problem affecting the country.
On June 27, Governmental Agreement 89-2019 was published in the Official Gazette, establishing the Regulations of Convention 175 of the International Labor Organization (ILO), which will regulate the hiring of part-time workers in the country.
Because there is still no regulation for part-time employment in Guatemala, textile businessmen estimate that the country loses between 40 and 70 thousand jobs.
For representatives of the Costume and Textile Commission (Vestex), the high operating and labor costs in Guatemala cause businessmen to send cut pieces to Honduras, El Salvador and Nicaragua to be assembled.
Costa Rican industrialists warn that increasing the minimum wage in the private sector by 34% will cause more unemployment and encourage more companies to operate unofficially.
The bill concerning the minimum wage will endanger plans for new hires in the private sector, and its passage into law could cause more informality and more unemployment. The proposal aims to increase the minimum wage by 34% for unskilled employees in the private sector. With the increase, the salary would go from $534 to $718.
The Legislature has approved a reform to labor procedures, implementing orality in judicial proceedings and giving authorization for claims to be submitted through electronic means.
The main new feature is that the new legislation includes orality in judicial proceedings and the reduction of timeframes, as they will be resolved in an average of two years.
A guide produced by the Costa Rican Union of Chambers and Associations of Private Business Sector allows for assessments to be made on the degree of compliance with labor standards in companies.
From a statement issued by the Costa Rican Union of Chambers and Associations of Private Business Sector (UCCAEP):
The Government has issued an Executive Order which details the services that will be defined and the procedure to be followed to ensure the continuity of their delivery of services to the population.
After the lifting of the veto of the Act amending the Labour Procedure Code, which enabled strikes in essential services, president Solis has issued a decree which will be in force until the aforementioned Reform Act comes into force in mid-2016.
Despite widespread opposition from all productive sectors in the country, President Solis has lifted the ban on reforms to the law on labor procedures imposed by the previous administration.
From a statement issued by the Costa Rican Union of Chambers and Associations of Private Business Sector (UCCAEP):
Lifting of veto outrages and concerns business sector
The productive sector is asking the Solís government not lift the ban on the labor law allowing the suspension of essential services during worker strikes.
From a statement issued by the Costa Rican Union of Chambers and Associations in the Private Business Sector (UCCAEP):
The Costa Rican Union of Chambers and Associations in the Private Business Sector (UCCAEP) has requested that the President, Luis Guillermo Solís, not lift the ban on the Reform of the Code Labour, record 15,990; on the eve of Saturday December 13, the expiry date of the four-year term for the project.
A new tool allows private companies to independently assess the level of compliance with the Guatemalan Labor Law.
The purpose of this certification is for companies interested in attracting foreign partners to be able to prove they comply with labor laws in the country, as explained by representatives of the American Guatemalan Chamber of Commerce (Amcham), developer of the tool.
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