Improving Workers’ Understanding of and Ability to Protect and Claim their Labor Rights in Colombia

The Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB), U.S. Department of Labor (DOL, or the Department, or we), announces the availability of up to $1,400,000 total costs for one or more cooperative agreements to fund a technical assistance project(s) in Colombia to improve workers’ understanding of and ability to protect and claim their labor rights. The overarching strategy for achieving this objective is establishing new or supporting one or more existing workers’ rights centers that workers can access in order to: a) learn about their labor rights under Colombian law; and b) receive legal services to assist them in claiming those labor rights. The project should achieve the following outcomes to support this objective: 1. Workers better understand the scope and applicability of relevant labor and criminal laws. 2. Workers better understand the procedural and documentation requirements to initiate inspections, investigations, and/or seek legal remedies. 3. Increased referrals of workers to the workers’ rights centers for information and legal services. 4. Workers’ rights centers submit well-supported and well-articulated claims to initiate inspections, investigations, and/or seek legal remedies and then effectively track progress of such claims. The applicant must target workers and workers’ organizations in at least the palm oil, sugar, mines, ports, and flower sectors. The duration of the project will be a minimum of two years (24 months) and a maximum of four years (48 months) from the effective date of the award.