Colombia government labor bill shelved after legislators fail to reach quorum

Demonstrators protest against Colombian President Gustavo Petro's reforms in the health, retirement, employment and prison sectors, in Bogota, Colombia June 20, 2023. REUTERS/Luisa Gonzalez

BOGOTA (Reuters) - A labor reform pushed by Colombia's government was shelved on Tuesday after committee legislators in Congress' lower house failed to reach a quorum in a scheduled first debate, dealing a major setback to leftist President Gustavo Petro.

The reform aimed to reduce working hours and boost overtime pay to fight poverty. Critics said it could hurt job creation by increasing salary costs, but Petro argued the bill would solve issues like contractual instability which hurt growth.