The World In Focus Day One: South America

The World In Focus is an Internatnotes mini-series featuring concise briefings on the most current policy updates presented on a regional scale. 

1. Colombia’s 42 Hour Work Week Transition - Law 2101

For decades, Colombia maintained a forty-eight hour worksheet across its major industries in the twentieth century, but also a history of labor union’s resentment towards such standards. Before the establishment of modern-day factories, many workers in the country were under the influence of foreign corporations in the early twentieth-century and faced seven-day workweeks and extensive hours. As a result, many strikes had formed, such as the notable Banana Massacre that had occurred in 1928 within Ciénaga, Colombia, where military officers had begun firing workers of the American-owned United Fruit Company who were on strike (notably, it has been recorded that over 25,000 workers had been on strike during this period). 

Since then, it has been noted by the National Trade Union School that thousands of union members have been murdered since then, in which tensions between government officials and workers have remained high. 

However, efforts to respond to worker reforms have been executed. In July 2021, Colombia passed Law 2101. At last, its legislature led to the creation of the 42-hour work week. Even so, the mechanics of the law does permit some specifics, such as a gradual rollout.

To clarify, Law 2101 took into effect in July 2023, in which the workweek dropped an hour, and has dropped an hour annually since then. By July 2026, the workweek finally reaches the goal of fourty-two. This marks a step of progress across the Latin American region, as Mexico, Panama, Peru, and Bolivia still all enforce the forty-eight hour maximum.

Aside from serving as an official legislative following the decades of protest, this transition represents an additional mission for the Latin American nation: logistical reform. In years past, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development had ranked the nation low for work-life balance and retirement security reports despite having some of the highest working hours globally. 

By shortening these weeks, the Colombian government has the opportunity to maximize productivity. For instance, some have argued the possibility of implementing four-day workweeks across a company, as the Colombian Substantive Labor Code, Article 161, does not require a certain amount of days for a work week. Furthermore, many business teams now must consider the widespread implementation of AI and cloud-based software to coordinate streamlined operations and counterbalance the reduction in labor hours.. 

2. Chile’s 40 Hour Workweek - Law 21,561

While their capitals may be thousands of miles apart, the drive to reduce global working hours are not unrelated. Ecuador was the first Latin American nation to regulate the forty-hour work week, starting in the early twentieth century. However, since then, Chile has served as a blueprint for a second-wave movement, starting around a similar time as Law 2101 in 2023.

In the Andean nation, such mechanisms are regulated under Law 21,561. Its passing was advocated for starting in 2017 by congresswoman Camila Vallejo, given that the nation had not updated its workweek since 2005 and was stagnant at a lengthy 45 hours—a contrast from the global average of 40 hours, and within a variety of European Union nations, 35 hours.

Despite her advocacy, it wasn’t until the Estallido Social—the five-month-long movement of widespread civilian social protest against social and economic inequality—that reform towards improved working conditions could be reached. Two years following the movement, Vallejo entered into the Chilean cabinet as the Minister Secretary General of Government, and by April 2023, the law was finally established. 

Similar to Law 2101, Law 21,561 follows a gradual system. However, there lies a prominent difference: Law 21,561 requires the removal of two years every two years rather than a year on an annual basis. As a result, Chile will reach the final level of forty hours in 2028 contrast to Colombia’s forty-two in 2026. 

To ensure that corporate executives are unable to remove only a minuscule amount of time, such as twelve minutes away from each day, the Chilean Ministry of Work has introduced a notable regulation: if a company has a five-day workweek, workers must be relieved of a full hour of work on two of the work days, while if a company as a six-day workweek, they must be relieved of fifty minutes on two days and 20 minutes on a third day. 

Nevertheless, many corporations have been noted to shift towards a four-day workweek, joining the momentum in the global labor market. This progress complements an additional clause of the law, under which workers can earn up to 5 extra paid vacation days per year for overtime work. Lastly, once more in a similar effort to Colombia, Chile has been establishing greater technological measures to maintain productivity across the shortened hours, particularly through electronic attendance systems to prevent the rise of overtime payouts. 

Bibliography

Baron, Jhoan. "Colombia Cuts Work Week to 42 Hours in July, among Latin America's Shortest." Colombia One, 19 Apr. 2026, colombiaone.com/2026/04/19/colombia-42-hour-work-week-july-2026-latin-america/#:~:text=The%20change%20means%20that%20from,place%20since%20Ley%202101%20took.

"Colombia's Trade Unionism at Its Best: A History of SINTRAINAGRO." BananaLink, 2 July 2024, www.bananalink.org.uk/news/colombias-trade-unionism-at-its-best-a-history-of-sintrainagro/#:~:text=Colombia%20maintains%20a%20reputation%20as,victim%20of%20the%20armed%20conflict.

Garnham, Tomás. "Chile Moves to Reduce the Maximum Work Week, but Many Doubts Remain." International Bar Assocation, 27 Aug. 2024, www.ibanet.org/Chile-moves-to-reduce-the-maximum-work-week-but-doubts-remain.

Luciano Sanin Vásquez, José. Examining Workers' Rights and Violence against Labor Union Leaders in Colombia. House Committee on Education and Labor, 12 Feb. 2009. Democrats Committee on Education and the Workforce, democrats-edworkforce.house.gov/imo/media/doc/documents/111/pdf/testimony/20090212JoseLucianoSaninVasquezTestimony.pdf.

"Understanding the Impact of the 42-Hour Workweek Reduction in Chile: Benefits and Employer Restrictions." El Cuidadano, 23 4 2026, www.elciudadano.com/en/understanding-the-impact-of-the-42-hour-workweek-reduction-in-chile-benefits-and-employer-restrictions/04/23/.