Bogota, Colombia - Colombian President Gustavo Petro on Thursday urged his hard work plan to overhaul the national labor law, sending a referendum proposal to Congress, including questions for voters including whether working days should be limited to eight hours and whether working hours should be paid double wages during holidays.

With most of his agenda repeatedly blocked by Congress, Pietro now dares to say that the two-time MPs rejecting his labor reform will allow voters to decide whether they want the changes he proposed. Congress will have a referendum on 12 issues in one month.

Colombia's first leftist president, Petro, marked Labor Day by attending a trade union demonstration in the capital Bogota.

Petro said in front of thousands of protesters: "The people of Colombia want to vote for their fundamental rights, vote with their dignity."

If approved by lawmakers, Petro will issue a Colombian decree within three months to call Colombians for polls. The voter’s questions will include whether the daytime working days should end at 6 p.m. and whether open contracts should be provided to workers to prioritize job stability.

But overcoming Congress isn’t Petro’s only concern to see his project become reality. He needs referendum participation over 13 million - more than the number of votes he has become president, with more than half of the votes that must support his proposal.

Analysts agree that PETRO has an advantage in several cases even if Congress does not approve the referendum or if he fails to get the necessary votes in the polls. In previous circumstances, Sandra Borda, a political science professor at the University of Andes, said lawmakers would provide the Petro government with tools to “play the victim” and strengthen speech to Congress.

“The message the government has been trying to send is that Congress is no longer an entity representing the interests of the people…but defending the interests of private sector oligarchs, defending their interests,” Borda said.

On the other hand, if voters end up taking the polls, the government can see itself as a winner by gaining support from the election base, said Javier Garay, a political science professor at Columbia Internship University. He pointed out that the fundamental purpose of the referendum is to test the government's election support before the 2026 presidential election.

Among the thousands of protests held in Bogota, thousands expressed support for the referendum.

"The referendum was a defense of workers' rights, which had been a struggle for decades and was taken away by the former far-right government," said Jesús Parra, one of the 53-year-old protesters.