La violencia y el acoso laboral en Colombia

Workplace violence has become a worldwide problem of great importance in recent years. Currently, it is a top concern in both industrialized and developing countries, leading some international organizations to focus on its study and treatment (Martínez Cárdenas & Ramírez Mora, 2012). This includes the International Labour Organization (ILO), which, in the context of its centennial anniversary, introduced Convention 190 and Recommendation 206, both from 2019, the first international standards aimed at ending workplace violence and harassment, addressing the phenomenon from an inclusive approach that provides comprehensive protection for the victims of these behaviors (International Labour Organization [ILO], Convention 190 of 2019, Preface).
In Colombia, workplace harassment is a prevalent issue. According to a study by Universidad Libre (August 30, 2018), 1,406 cases were reported in the country during the first semester of 2018, mostly originating from the capital. The number of cases in Bogotá increased from 492 in 2017 to 972 in 2018, representing a 45% rise. For Rocío Niño, a professor at the Faculty of Law of that institution, 70% of the victims do not report due to fear of losing their jobs or out of ignorance, as seven out of ten employees are unaware of Law 1010 of 2006 (Universidad Libre, August 30, 2018). This provision is known as the Law Against Workplace Harassment, which establishes preventive, corrective, and punitive measures against any form of aggression, mistreatment, or attack on human dignity towards those providing services under a subordinate work relationship in an institution, whether private or public (Article 1, Law 1010 of 2006).
Once the state of affairs is presented, this research focuses on analyzing whether international standards, especially treaties on workplace violence and harassment, provide more protective regulations for the victims of these behaviors compared to Colombian domestic legislation. It is important to note that the investigative work will only encompass issues arising in the regulation of workplace harassment in private relationships, excluding public ones. The bifurcation in the punitive procedure brought about by Law 1010 of 2006 for the public sector necessitates a particular analysis and study.
The hypothesis of this research revolves around the intrinsic ineffectiveness of Law 1010 of 2006 in recognizing the victim status of those subjected to acts of workplace violence and harassment. Therefore, in order to dignify the victim by providing material protection and supporting them as the core of national regulations, all guarantees established in international standards, especially international labor conventions and recommendations, must be incorporated, with the aim of restructuring and reinterpreting the existing legislation on workplace harassment. To achieve this goal, it is imperative to combine international standards with a comparative law study to carry out a complete restructuring of protection mechanisms against workplace violence and harassment.

Contenido 

Introducción 11 

1.La violencia y el acoso laboral 13

1.1. Concepto y generalidades 13 

1.1.1. Perspectivas de la noción de acoso laboral 13 

1.1.2. Causas del acoso laboral 15 

1.1.3. Consecuencias del acoso laboral 15 

1.1.4. Características de la conducta 16 

1.2. La Ley 1010 de 2006 17 

1.2.1. Aciertos de la legislación 18 

1.2.2. Críticas y deficiencias de la legislación 20 

1.2.3. Desarrollo jurisprudencial 25 

2. Adopción de un mecanismo de protección integral dirigido a la víctima 31 

2.1. El Convenio 190 de 2019 y la Recomendación 206 31 

2.1.1. La función interpretativa de las normas internacionales  del trabajo en el derecho interno 32 

2.1.2. El control de convencionalidad 35 

2.2. Replanteamiento del concepto de violencia y acoso laboral:  elementos esenciales 37 

2.2.1. La protección de otras formas de trabajo 38 

2.2.2. La eliminación del requisito de persistencia  para la configuración de la conducta 39 

2.2.3. Sobre el carácter demostrable de la conducta 40 

2.2.4. Protección contra el acoso antes, durante y después  de la relación laboral 43 

2.2.5. Sobre los escenarios en los que se puede presentar  la conducta 44 

2.3. Mecanismos de protección a las víctimas de acoso laboral 45 

2.3.1. Mecanismos de prevención 45 

2.3.2. Mecanismos de corrección 58 

2.3.3. Mecanismos de sanción 62

2.4. La reparación integral del daño como garantía de protección  a las víctimas de acoso laboral 67 

2.4.1. La debilidad del proceso especial de acoso laboral 67 

2.4.2. La reparación integral del daño 69 

Conclusiones 83 

Referencias bibliográficas 87