President Gustavo Petro rejects César Gaviria's request not to vote in the referendum: "He's not a liberal."

President Gustavo Petro opposed the request of former President César Gaviria, head of the Liberal Party, for the Senate to not support the referendum. The president considered the request contrary to the principles of the Liberal Party.

"I wouldn't understand a single liberal who doesn't want the people to be consulted. That person, simply, isn't a liberal," said President Petro in response to the request from the leader of the red party. He then went on to criticize the "mini-labor reform" presented by the liberals, which only seeks to extend the night shift and full pay for Sunday and holiday surcharges.

"The bill you presented, Mr. Cesar Gaviria, is minimal; it doesn't take into account working women, young workers, micro-entrepreneurs, or farmers. Like Uribe, you insist that the day ends late at night," the president added.

According to the president, the Liberals' proposal goes against his party's principles: "It contradicts López Pumarejo's ongoing revolution." However, he didn't completely close the door on it, but noted that it could be corrected.

"I delivered an urgent message for your bill so you can correct it yourselves. In the meantime, the entire referendum is moving forward," Petro stated. Finally, he emphasized the need for the people to decide the future of the labor reform.

"I have asked all senators to respect the primary constituent assembly and hear it in consultation," the president concluded his message.

In a statement, former President César Gaviria, head of the Liberal Party, opposed the referendum on labor reform proposed by President Gustavo Petro. The statement comes just days before Congress is scheduled to discuss whether to convene this referendum.

"President Petro's proposal to call a referendum to support his labor reform is the wrong decision," said the Liberal leader. One of the main arguments for rejecting the government's proposal is the expense it would incur.

According to the former president, "spending a trillion pesos on a symbolic vote is an unacceptable waste in the midst of the country's fiscal crisis." He asserted that these resources should be "allocated to urgent needs," which would include: "improving workers' conditions, supporting victims, strengthening the public security forces, and funding social policies that benefit those most in need."

"Therefore, we recommend that the Senate of the Republic not vote on the referendum, a misguided and inefficient initiative," was Gaviria's request to the body, which will be studying the government's proposal starting Tuesday.

The former president questioned the government's approach to labor reform, which it intends to promote with the referendum: "We are on the side of the workers, not the union elites. The country needs serious reforms, not costly political maneuvers that weaken institutions and deepen polarization. Colombia needs real solutions, not empty gestures."

Finally, he asked for support for his party's bill, which seeks to incorporate the main points of the labor reform. "What the country is witnessing today is an irresponsible waste of public resources, a trillion pesos earmarked for a symbolic vote, which could be efficiently channeled through a bill. Precisely, that was and is the alternative presented by the Liberal Party and our Liberal congressmen, committed to the recognition of labor rights, an initiative guided by an institutional path and respect for the Congress of the Republic," he concluded.

Juan Sebastian Lombo Delgado