Colombia. The Association of the Motor Sector and its Parties (Asopartes) expressed concern about the recent increase in the minimum wage in Colombia, warning that the measure generates additional pressures on the operating costs of a highly labor-intensive sector composed mostly of small and medium-sized enterprises.
According to the union, the impact will be felt especially in companies dedicated to the marketing, distribution and maintenance services of vehicles and motorcycles, which face increasingly narrow margins in an environment marked by inflation and the reorientation of consumption.
Although Asopartes recognizes the importance of improving workers' incomes and moving towards fairer working conditions, it stresses that wage increases must be consistent with productivity, the behavior of the economy and the real capacity of companies to absorb higher costs without affecting formal employment or transferring pressures to final prices.
The motor sector operates along an extensive chain that includes importers, distributors, workshops, marketers and technical services, many of them formally constituted small businesses. In this context, an increase in the minimum wage without accompanying measures puts the stability of this business structure at risk.
Asopartes warned that the increase will have direct effects on operating costs in the after-sales, maintenance and repair of vehicles and motorcycles, key segments for the country's daily mobility. These higher costs, the union said, will end up being passed on to end users, affecting access to essential services and putting pressure on the cost of living.
Additionally, the association warned about the risk of an increase in informality, particularly in activities such as mechanical workshops, technical services and marketing of auto parts, where the narrowness of margins makes it difficult to absorb abrupt increases in labor costs. According to the union, when costs grow faster than productivity, the capacity to generate formal employment is reduced and informal schemes are encouraged that affect legality, consumer safety and the competitiveness of the sector.
The statement also points out that this decision adds to other factors that already pressure the operation of the sector, such as regulatory uncertainty, logistics costs, tax burden and challenges associated with smuggling and illegality, which directly impact companies that comply with the regulations.
Finally, Asopartes called on the National Government to build labor policies with a technical approach and through a permanent dialogue with the productive sectors, incorporating measures that boost productivity, reduce structural costs and strengthen business formalization.
The union reiterated that the country needs a comprehensive vision that protects formal employment and the sustainability of companies that build legality every day, and that economic decisions must be evaluated not only for their immediate impact, but also for their effects on the productive structure.
