Original article: «Es necesario acabar con la informalidad laboral en el Estado chileno»: Sindicato Sintrac organizó foro sobre el trabajo precario

Addressing Labor Informality in Chile: Sintrac Organizes Forum on Precarious Work Conditions

On Thursday, January 22, a debate forum was held in Santiago to discuss the first official complaint by a union representing contracted workers against the Chilean government, submitted in late 2025 to the International Labour Organization (ILO) by the Sintrac union.

According to data from the Labor Inspectorate, over 500,000 workers are currently employed in the central government and municipalities on a «contractual honorarium» basis. Sintrac argues that this mechanism allows the government to «evade its responsibility» as an employer.

«Thus, the complaint filed with the ILO is crucial, as it compels the government and various state institutions to uphold existing international treaties that have been overlooked, leading to labor precarity and abuses for over two decades,» said representatives from the union.

The forum featured participation from Deputy Boris Barrera (PC), the president of Fentramuch, Fabian Caballero, and labor lawyer María Estrella Zúñiga.

In this context, Deputy Barrera praised the initiative, emphasizing that Parliament needs to «discuss and fundamentally modify the current labor legislation to eliminate situations that promote precarious work within the state itself.»

«We must go beyond diagnosis and move towards concrete proposals, which should result from collaborative efforts between various union representatives and lawmakers,» the legislator stated.

«It is time for the state to stop being the principal promoter of labor precariousness,» added Deputy Boris Barrera.

The Citizen