A change in Colombia’s labor law decreased the percentage of foreign workers allowed to work for a company by 10 percent, reports newpaper La Republica.
Before the amendment, Article 74 allowed for 20 percent of an employer’s labor force to be foreign. The amendment now dictates that only 10 percent of employees can be from another country.
The president of the General Confederation of Workers is critical of the ammendment, “We do not reject foreign workers because we must also protect the 4 million Colombians working abroad who could be discriminated against.”
Conservative senator Juan Mario Laserna finds the amendment beneficial because it recognizes international labor migration agreements signed with other members of the Andean Community (CAN).
A professor of economics at the University of Rosario told La Republica that Colombia operates a double standard because it promotes the country as a destination for foreigners, but in practice it is very difficult to get a foreign professional to work in Colombia.
The amendment was passed by Congress and signed by President Juan Manuel Santos on December 31, 2010.