Colombian unions march in support of aid bills for working class and poor By Reuters

By Luis Jaime Acosta

BOGOTA (Reuters) – 1000’s of Colombian protesters returned to the streets of main cities on Tuesday to as soon as once more demand that Congress approve union-backed social insurance policies to learn the poorest.

The marchers – their numbers a lot lowered from a peak earlier this 12 months – additionally demonstrated towards an almost $4 billion tax reform authorized this month by Congress and handed into regulation. Unions say it doesn’t do sufficient for the working class.

The reform is supposed to learn 29 million folks by means of emergency fundamental earnings funds to 4 million poor households, quickly free tuition at public universities and technical colleges for younger folks from poor and middle-income households and wage subsidies for companies which rent girls and youth.

“The federal government has been serving to households slightly, it’s inadequate help,” Francisco Maltes, the pinnacle of the Central Union of Employees (CUT) advised Reuters.

Lawmakers ought to approve a bundle of union-backed legal guidelines that can “struggle starvation and inequality” he mentioned.

These proposals would give a fundamental earnings of about $236 monthly to 7.5 million households for 13 months, in addition to free college for college kids and help for small companies. The payments have languished since Congress started its present session two months in the past.

Giant protests between April and June led to the withdrawal of an preliminary model of the tax reform and prompted the resignation of the finance minister.

Not less than 29 folks have been killed in reference to these protests- with many deaths blamed on extreme use of drive by police -while street blockades led to shortages across the nation.

A separate group of largely girls marchers demonstrated to mark Worldwide Secure Abortion Day.

Although Colombia permits abortion in circumstances of a menace to the well being of the lady, rape and deadly fetal deformity, activists say the process is troublesome to realize, particularly for rural girls.