Worker-Driven Labor Law Enforcement Centers in Colombia

The Bureau of International Labor Affairs, U.S. Department of Labor announces the availability of approximately $4 million total costs for one cooperative agreement to fund a technical assistance project in Colombia to improve compliance with Colombia’s labor laws and relevant labor standards. The objective of this project is the improved ability of workers in priority sectors of Colombia to understand and exercise their labor rights. The strategy for achieving the project objective is creating worker-driven labor law enforcement centers that will effectively reach workers, educate them on their rights, train them to identify potential labor law violations in workplaces, and then assist workers to submit and track well-supported, well-articulated, justiciable claims to initiate labor inspections and pursue legal remedies. If labor law enforcement centers are able to submit well-supported and well-articulated claims, then the labor ministry and other relevant government agencies will be able to address labor rights violations more effectively and improve compliance with Colombia’s labor laws and relevant labor standards. The project must target workers in priority sectors, specifically rural workers in the palm oil, sugar, and mine sectors and workers in the port and cut-flower sectors. The duration of the project will be a maximum of four years (48 months) from the effective date of the award.