The debate over the minimum wage increase in Colombia continues to shape the electoral landscape following the decision by the Council of State to provisionally suspend the decree that set a historic 23.7% increase for 2026. However, a Colombia minimum wage consensus is building around leaving the measure as is.
The measure, taken last Friday by the high court, left in limbo a policy that had been promoted by the government and that benefited nearly 2.4 million formal workers, and opened a discussion that goes beyond technical matters and moves into the realm of electoral politics, social priorities, and the country’s economic stability.
The effects of the suspension threaten to be felt both in households and in the country’s decision-making centers, at a time of both legislative and presidential elections. Although the court ordered the executive branch to issue a new decree within eight days, based on clear legal criteria, social and political sectors have taken opposing positions.
For now, beyond the government and the presidential candidates who defend a continuationist line, the call to maintain the minimum wage as decreed by the government from opposition candidates — such as Paloma Valencia or Vicky Davila — and more recently from the spokesperson of the National Association of Entrepreneurs of Colombia (ANDI), and even from opposition presidential candidate Abelardo De la Espriella, who maintained a calculated silence about the provisional suspension until yesterday Sunday, came as a surprise.
The truth is that, on all sides, the economy, formal and informal employment, and the legitimacy of the minimum wage negotiation process itself are now at the center of a debate that appears to be setting the public agenda on the eve of the presidential elections.
Related: Colombia’s 2026 Minimum Wage: Government, Employers, and Unions Reach Agreement.
Colombia consensus builds to keep 23% minimum wage increase
Among the main supporters of continuing the increase, the position of ANDI stood out. Its president, Bruce Mac Master, called on both the government and other players in the country to maintain the wage hike despite the judicial suspension.
In statements to national media, Mac Master argued that reversing the increase at this time would be “very complex” for workers who have already incorporated the new wage into their personal and family budgets. He also noted that an abrupt rollback could generate economic stress in millions of households that were already counting on the increase.
Although ANDI had initially warned about the possible negative effects of a wage increase far above inflation and productivity, the business group’s current position focuses on the need for certainty and stability for workers.
“For many of the 2.4 million workers, this has been a very significant increase that they already have in their accounts and budgets. It would be very difficult to backtrack at this point,” said the president of the Andi in an interview with local radio station Caracol Radio.
Regarding the government’s call for a consultation committee meeting to be held this Monday, Bruce Mac Master stated that there is currently no formal consultation process underway, and therefore, he does not anticipate the results of the planned meeting.
Its representative does not ignore the macroeconomic risks that a decision of this magnitude may entail, such as inflationary pressures or costs for micro- and small-sized businesses, but at this moment he considered it most sensible to sustain the increase policy while adjusting the technical framework required by law.
The deliberate position of Abelardo de La Espriella
The judicial controversy also forced those competing for the presidency in the May elections to speak out, including those who had remained silent in previous days. One of the most striking examples was that of right-wing presidential candidate Abelardo de La Espriella, who in polls, appears as the main electoral rival of the continuationist Ivan Cepeda.
After two days without referring to the issue, De la Espriella spoke publicly from Ibague, defending the continuity of the wage increase established in December by the government, although with nuances consistent with his political platform.
The candidate, who has parliamentary support from the far-right party National Salvation, backed maintaining the 23.7% increase and asked employers to continue paying the wage as decreed, even though the Council of State has temporarily halted its effects.
De La Espriella took the opportunity to propose tax relief measures aimed at business owners, such as reducing the 4 × 1000 tax — a levy paid on bank transactions exceeding 18,330,000 pesos (approximately US$5,000) — and lowering the tax burden on gasoline, to balance the burden between workers and producers. He also proposed reducing the size of the state to free up resources and energize the economy.
De La Espriella’s position is perhaps the most contrasting within the conservative spectrum, as traditionally right-wing sectors have expressed reservations about wage adjustments of this nature due to the impact they could have on business competitiveness.
His emphasis, however, was on combining the defense of workers’ income with pro-business policies to mitigate any adverse effects, a mix that seeks to attract both voters and economic players concerned about the current situation.
Crossed arguments across the country
Support for maintaining the wage increase is not limited to these sectors. Candidates from different political camps, both pro-government and opposition, have agreed that rolling back what has already been decreed would be harmful to institutional confidence and to millions of families who have already seen it reflected in their accounts.
In contrast, the National Federation of Traders (Fenalco, by its acronym in Spanish), which was one of the promoters of the lawsuit before the Council of State, maintains a critical and isolated stance.
Fenalco has argued that the minimum wage increase not only lacks a solid technical basis in accordance with legal parameters but also jeopardizes formal employment and the stability of microenterprises, which make up the vast majority of Colombia’s business fabric. The organization contends that such a significant measure may contribute to the growth of informal employment, inflationary pressure, and rising operating costs for small merchants.
It is worth noting that while ANDI represents large business interests, Fenalco is a trade association that primarily groups merchants, and therefore its membership also includes small retail businesses, a sector where the minimum wage increase has a stronger impact on the bottom line of each small business.
Thus, while sectors such as ANDI and political figures from different tendencies advocate maintaining the increase, Fenalco remains in a solitary position calling for the withdrawal of the decree and defending its economic perspective, a contrast that reflects the complexity of the debate in a country where the social and economic implications of the minimum wage go beyond the legal sphere and strike at the heart of the political agenda.