In the framework of the PSI National Coordinating Council meeting in Colombia, held March 3-5, the National LGBTIQ+ Committee presented its work plan for 2025, focused on promoting inclusive and safe work environments for gender and sexual diversity workers. Among its main initiatives is the expansion of LGBTIQ+ worker representation at the national level, in line with the CONPES recently launched by the National Government for this population. In addition, the committee will promote the creation of training spaces for grassroots unions, with the aim of not only encouraging active participation in union spaces, but also developing action plans that respond to the specific needs of these workers in the public services sector.

The space was led by Lía García Susa and Henry Vallejo, representatives of the committee, who highlighted the importance of strengthening the organization and participation of LGBTIQ+ workers within unions. "We want more LGBTIQ+ people to identify themselves within the unions and join this work. It is essential to continue to grow as a committee to ensure that our voices are heard in decision-making," explained Vallejo.

Among the actions highlighted for 2025, the committee will develop a collective bargaining guide with a focus on LGBTIQ+ rights, aimed at getting unions to include clauses that recognize the needs of this population in their labor agreements. "It is key that unions promote structural changes, from the inclusion of diverse family models to the guarantee of rights for trans people in administrative processes," added Garcia.

Vallejo complemented the importance of this document by stating that "naming our identities in labor agreements is an act of recognition. Many times, the human rights of LGBTIQ+ people are invisible in the language of negotiations. This guide will allow our realities to be explicitly recognized, ensuring that we are named, that we are considered and that our families are validated in the world of work."

The committee also emphasized the importance of diversity and LGBTIQ+ rights training within affiliated unions. To this end, a training schedule will be designed to sensitize affiliates to the challenges faced by this population in the world of work. "No one commits to what they don't know," said Maria Clara Baquero, president of the ASODEFENSA union, who during her speech at the meeting expressed her support for the committee's work. Along with her, the representatives of the National Coordinating Council had a unanimous vote in identifying the need to bring more training on these issues to their grassroots unions.

Another way to include affiliated unions in the committee's work was evidenced by the study to be conducted by PSI to identify the needs of LGBTIQ+ workers in the public service sector. This report will provide key recommendations for affiliated unions and will be socialized in June, as part of Pride Month. "This study will be a fundamental tool to define strategies that guarantee safe and discrimination-free work spaces," concluded Garcia.

Vallejo highlighted that the inclusion of these issues in union agendas not only has an impact on LGBTIQ+ workers, but also transforms the perception of unions. "To the extent that unions are recognized as safe and inclusive spaces for LGBTIQ+ people, the perception that the general population has of them will change. They will cease to be seen only as organizations that negotiate wage conditions and become key actors in the struggle for human rights and social justice. This will attract more people to join and strengthen the union movement," he said.

With this action plan, the National LGBTIQ+ Committee reaffirms its commitment to the defense of the rights of workers of gender and sexual diversity, betting on a more inclusive and representative trade unionism in Colombia.