Petro says Colombia’s government will support indefinite strike – Colombia News

Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro said Tuesday that he will support an indefinite strike if Congress sinks a referendum on labor and healthcare reforms.

Petro traveled to Barranquilla to promote local communities to create open community councils in an attempt to pressure the Senate into approving a referendum on the expansion of labor rights and the virtual nationalization of Colombia’s healthcare system.

The president’s speech came a day after labor unions called for a 48-hour national strike in support of the referendum on Thursday and Friday next week.

Colombia’s labor unions and social organizations announce national strike on May 28 and 29

Hours before Petro arrived in Barranquilla, labor union leader Over Dorado told the Senate that his union, the CUT, does not rule out calling for a general strike if the national strike protests are ignored in Bogota.

For us, given the current situation, it is the people who have to decide. And we will play hard with the referendum. We hope that the Senate of the Republic will assume it… because they have been opponents in the majority to the social reforms of the government… we want to tell you that a very strong popular struggle is coming in the country… We will go on a 48-hour national strike on Thursday, May 28 and Friday, May 29, not discarding a general strike.

Over Dorado

In his speech, which was broadcast on all television networks, Petro expressed his support for the unions and warned “the revolution will break out’ if he were to be impeached for this.

If we must go on an indefinite strike, the president will never touch the people, he will stand by their side… if they are going to throw me out because of that, the revolution will break out, because we are not going to kneel down. We have not asked for anything that is not common in the world; we are not exaggerating. I am not asking for socialism, even though I’d like to.

President Gustavo Petro

According to Petro, “Colombia’s oligarchy must know that it is now in confrontation with the people, because it was not able to dialogue with the president or reach an agreement” on social reforms.

In his speech, the president explicitly referred to coastal dynasties that are broadly represented in the Senate and in business associations.

Dozens of these business associations flocked to the Senate on Monday and Tuesday to oppose the labor reform demanded by Petro, the labor unions and a vast array of social, indigenous and community organization.