Lawmakers and representatives from the Independent Democratic Union (UDI) met with Labor Minister Tomás Rau on Thursday to demand that the executive branch prioritize the Universal Daycare bill through an immediate discussion mandate in Congress. The meeting, confirmed by reports from La Tercera, represents a continued escalation of pressure from the opposition party regarding childcare reform.
The UDI’s push for legislative urgency is not a new development. Following the recent approval of the National Reconstruction project in the Chamber of Deputies, the UDI bench had already formally requested that the government utilize the upcoming presidential Public Account address to announce the immediate discussion of the Universal Daycare initiative.
Minister Rau confirmed that the government is currently drafting a series of legislative amendments to advance the proposal. He noted that the administration has committed to finalizing and presenting these adjustments by June 15. "It is a very important project for our government that we are pushing, and we are going to present amendments soon," Rau stated following the meeting. "We have until June 15 to do so, and we have had a very good meeting where we have exchanged different ideas and it is always good to keep dialoguing."
Central to the government’s motivation for the reform is the modification of Article 203 of the Labor Code. Minister Rau argued that the current legal framework creates a financial barrier that discourages the hiring of women. "There is a very strong discrimination that is enshrined in Article 203 that makes hiring women more expensive, which we must remove, and, of course, provide care for our children," Rau said, describing the reform as a "long-standing" and "deeply felt" aspiration.
Flor Weisse, head of the UDI bench, emphasized that the legislative focus must shift away from ideological debates to address the practical barriers facing female workers. She characterized the current situation as a form of "double discrimination" that requires urgent intervention. "We are no longer in the moment to think about ideological issues, and I believe that in this, the UDI has led this issue of Universal Daycare," Weisse said.
When questioned regarding whether the administration provided assurances that the bill would be elevated to "immediate discussion" status during the President's upcoming Public Account, Weisse noted that the government signaled a "total and absolute commitment" to the project. While she did not confirm a specific policy announcement, she maintained that the party expects the government to advance the initiative in the most efficient manner possible.
