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Avenida amplia de Bogotá con una marcha distante de pancartas en blanco bajo un cielo nublado
Una avenida de Bogotá en una jornada de movilización social convocada por centrales obreras y organizaciones sociales. · Imagen generada por EPM

Unions and social groups call national strike on November 19

Labor federations and peasant, Indigenous, Afro-descendant, student and social organizations called a national strike for Thursday, November 19 against the…

--- The context --- Labor federations, peasant, Indigenous, Afro-descendant and student organizations, together with social movements, have called a national strike day for Thursday, November 19. The call is directed against the economic and labor reforms promoted by the Government and, according to the announcement, brings together different union, social and grassroots sectors across the country. --- The facts --- The call became known through a statement dated November 4, in which several organizations announced their participation in a day of mobilization against the Economic Rescue Law bill and the policies they attribute to the Government of Abelardo de la Espriella. Among those backing the call are the Central Unitaria de Trabajadores (CUT), the Confederación de Trabajadores de Colombia (CTC) and the Confederación General del Trabajo (CGT). Fecode, the Coordinadora Nacional para el Cambio, the Pacto Histórico and other social coordination spaces also appear backing the call. According to the organizers, the announced support shows that the call goes beyond a single labor federation and includes peasant, Indigenous and Afro-descendant communities, as well as student organizations and social movements from different sectors. --- The positions --- According to the organizers, the bill would shift a greater tax burden onto working families, with changes to VAT and increases in taxes on certain products. In the view of the federations, the changes would favor higher-income sectors and would affect workers' rights and resources for public services. The organizers also question the reduction of public spending, the reorganization of state entities and the budget bill for 2027, and they defend public education, health, labor rights and pensions. --- What remains unknown --- Participation figures and the definitive march routes for November 19 are not yet known. Nor is there, at the time of the call, a known response from the Government to the questions raised in the November 4 statement, or detail on how the day will unfold in each territory across the country. --- Unanswered questions --- How many people will ultimately take part in the November 19 day of action? What will be the definitive routes of the marches in the different cities? Will the Government respond to the questions raised by the organizers? Will any space for dialogue open between the parties before the date set for the strike? --- EPM analysis --- The call brings together, in a single announcement, labor federations and social organizations with diverse agendas, united on this occasion by their position on the economic and labor reforms. That breadth, announced in the statement itself, makes the day a measure of the democratic pulse and of the real mobilization capacity of these sectors, beyond the support expressed in writing. 📌 EPM Take: In EPM's view, the November 19 call is part of the democratic pulse between a Government advancing its reforms and social sectors expressing their disagreement through mobilization. The day will make it possible to measure the real convening capacity of the federations and organizations behind the call, beyond the announcements. The Government's response remains to be known and, above all, the real participation figures, which will be the data confirming the effective reach of this national call announced on November 4.
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