Approved as law in 2023 and constitutionally confirmed in 2024, the ratification of Convention 156 of the International Labour Organization (ILO) on workers with family responsibilities was deposited by the Colombian government with the organisation in December 2024 and is due to come into force in December this year.

In general terms, the ratification of ILO Convention 156 obliges the Colombian government to adopt concrete measures to guarantee gender equity in the workplace, facilitating the reconciliation of work and family without affecting the stability and professional development of women.

The process of ratification of the Convention in Colombia followed a long path that began in 2022 with the presentation of the bill followed by the coordinated work of the country's labor movement.

For Margarita Lopez, vice-president of the PSI Global Women's Committee, Convention 156 makes it possible to assert a balance between work and care work because it defines support in terms of leave. "This convention is not new. On the contrary, it is a 1981 convention, but with the COVID-19 pandemic, the importance of ensuring a balance between work and women's workload became much more visible, so its approval is an important step forward, especially for working women in Colombia".

According to the ILAW Network labor lawyer, Mery Laura Perdomo Ospina, the convention promotes that States opt for policies that allow workers with family responsibilities, especially women workers with family responsibilities, to better balance their paid work with care work.

Like most ILO conventions, it is expected that this convention approved by Colombia and deposited with the organization will come into force only one year later, that is, on December 6, 2025. Lopez reminds that it is necessary to take advantage of the political moment in Colombia with the Government of Change to ensure its implementation.

The PSI Women's Committee of Colombia affirms that the ratification of Convention 156 by Colombia represents an important step forward in terms of gender equality at work. "This convention seeks to ensure that people with family obligations are not discriminated against in employment and can access equal opportunities and working conditions."

For the Committee, the main implications for women workers in Colombia:

1. Protection against discrimination: the right not to be discriminated against in access, permanence and promotion at work for reasons related to maternity or care of children and dependent family members is reinforced.

2. Reconciliation between work and family life: The implementation of policies that allow women workers to balance their family responsibilities with their jobs, such as flexible work schedules, teleworking or caregiving leave, is encouraged.

3. Co-responsibility in the home: The agreement encourages both women and men to share household and family care responsibilities, which encourages male participation in these tasks and reduces the burden on women.

4. Strengthening labor rights: Ratification of the agreement can lead to improvements in regulations and public policies on maternity and paternity leave, breastfeeding rights, and access to childcare and eldercare services.

However, it must be said that this mechanism alone is not enough. "While it is important to ensure that balance and recognition of workers' care burdens by their workspaces, this must be complemented by a care system that offers quality services. This will support families and shift the burden of care from families to the state, making possible a real redistribution of that burden," recalls Lopez.

In a fundamental step towards achieving gender equality and rebuilding the social organization of care, PSI launched a campaign in October 2024, International Day of Care and Support, calling for the urgent ratification and implementation of ILO Convention 156 in all countries of the world.

Verónica Montúfar, Global Gender Equality Officer at PSI, explains that "the global campaign for ILO Convention 156 is part of PSI's policy priority to rebuild the social organization of care, and allows us to move forward with concrete measures in the workplace through the redistribution of unpaid care work and the non-criminalization of workers with family responsibilities. This step in the ratification of C156 that Colombia has taken adds to the comprehensive approach of its emerging care system, and is a victory for Colombian women workers".