President Gustavo Petro announced the expected increase in the minimum wage for 2026 in his speech on December 29th. The figure set was an increase of 23.7%, bringing the minimum wage with transportation support to $2,000,000, an amount that, according to the President, should guarantee Colombian workers a decent life.
The new salary consists of $1,750,905 in base salary and $249,095 in transportation allowance. This measure is seen as an attempt to cover the basic needs of Colombian families.
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The increase was received with great enthusiasm within the governing party. Many members of the government expressed their support and celebrated Petro’s decision, despite negative reactions from the opposition and the business union, which warned of the beginning of an economic crisis in the country.
One of the first to react was Senator Martha Peralta, who used her social networks to support President Petro, as she stressed that the increase in the minimum wage does not pose a threat to the Colombian economy, as some analysts had stressed.
“The minimum wage is 2 million pesos with transportation support. I fully agree with our president @petrogustavo that work must be enough to live with dignity.” Make no mistake: raising the minimum wage will neither weaken the economy nor eliminate jobs. The facts have already shown this,” the senator wrote.
And he concluded his message with the words: “What is destroying the country is a model that normalizes working poverty while a few amass absurd profits. Colombia cannot continue with poverty wages. What is fair, what is necessary and viable is the dignity of working people.”
Senator Sandra Ramírez from the Comunes party also welcomed President Petro’s announcement. In her message, the congresswoman emphasized that this increase reflects the administration’s commitment to the rights of the working class.
“URGENT. Good news. The minimum wage for 2026 remained at 2 million pesos (including transportation support). This was announced by President @petrogustavo. “This government continues to demonstrate that the working class deserves fair and vital wages.”the congresswoman noted on her X account.
The personality that caught the attention of all the voices was that of the Minister of the Interior, Armando Benedetti, who did not hesitate to take part in the celebrations of the presidential measure.
Through a video published on him “It turns out that the basic basket is worth three point two million pesos and you have to have one point five people to reach that basic basket for four people.”
“(…) The people who complain the most today are those who have the fewest employees. Now there will be greater solvency, greater purchasing power and more money in people’s pockets. Congratulations. Let’s move on. We have the backbone of a president. What a good intervention,” Benedetti said in his video.
In an additional written statement, the minister did not hesitate to attack critical economists: “The economic ‘analysts’, who are boringly always the same, seem like wet parrots repeating economic theories against the policies implemented by the government, and the economy is doing very well!” “You do not recognize the audacity of President @petrogustavo”.
Former Health Secretary Carolina Corcho, who currently heads the list closed to the Senate by the historic pact, also showed her support for increasing the minimum wage.
In his release, Corcho emphasized that the increase represents an opportunity for workers to regain what they have been denied for years: “A salary for a dignified life for the family and the hope of workers.” To finally honor that fundamental seed of society: the one who sows care, teaches with patience, educates with love and supports others.”
“A salary to regain what has been denied for too many years to those who hold the land in their hands. This is our current proposal: a better life for all,” Corcho wrote, celebrating the measure.
Chamber representative Mafe Carrascal of the Historical Pact also supported President Petro in his publication and defended the increase as an economic redistribution strategy.
“The right-wingers are screaming about raising the minimum wage. They hope it will all go to waste, as they predicted at the start of this administration. They can run away, but as long as the working class has money in their pockets, the entire economy benefits, more consumption leads to more jobs,” the congresswoman wrote in X.
“This debate is the same as that which took place in Congress with labor reform: they use technical details to conceal a deep class hatred, a total resistance to the recognition of workers’ rights and the conclusion of pacts with the popular classes. Of course, increasing the minimum wage is a measure of GDP redistribution, it is a measure of justicebut this is not the only thing, it must be complemented by public action, as is already happening. Thank you, President.”
Former Foreign Minister Luis Gilberto Murillo also celebrated President Petro’s decision and in his message emphasized the importance of the increase in a country where many workers earn less than is necessary for a life of dignity.
“I welcome the government’s decision to increase the minimum wage for workers. In a country where millions earn less than the minimum wage, this income must allow them to live in dignity. Now the challenge is to further stimulate the economy: to ensure a balance between real wages, strong companies and more decent employment,” Murillo said on his social networks.
In the same way is that Chamber representative Susana Boreal He also welcomed the increase in the minimum wage and emphasized its positive impact on the stability of Colombian families.
In its publication, Boreal emphasized President Petro’s words about the importance of ensuring adequate living conditions for workers: “‘The minimum wage must guarantee adequate living conditions and adapt to other economic variables (…) The salary is not individual but family and must cover all basic needs’. Celebrate the Colombian working class ✊🏼🇨🇴 (sic),” Boreal wrote in X.
For his part, Julián López, President of the House of Representatives and member of the U Party, thanked the President for the decision, pointing out that this measure honors and appreciates the work of Colombians.
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“This decision improves the working conditions of millions of workers, generates higher income so that Colombian households can meet their basic needs, It stimulates domestic consumption, revitalizes the economy and promotes fairer and more equitable development (…) Thank you, Mr. President,” concluded the congressman.
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