Colombia Unions and Teachers March on 14 October
POLITICS · COLOMBIA
Key Facts
- —The country Colombia, a close US partner on security and trade, now led by the conservative President Abelardo de la Espriella.
- —Why it matters Unions and teachers are testing the new government in the street, while the President promises a firm line against road blockades.
- —Why now In a national address on Monday 12 October, the President said a new protest decree would be published “in the coming days”.
- —What happened Bogotá’s city government lists four protest events for Wednesday 14 October, with unions and teachers gathering at Parque Nacional from 9:30 a.m.
- —The numbers Local press lists gatherings in at least eight cities, and Bogotá lists eight protest events between 13 and 18 October.
- —What it means for US readers Expect slower traffic and TransMilenio changes in central Bogotá. The US State Department already rates Colombia Level 3, “Reconsider travel”.
- —Still open Whether the decree is signed before the marches, how many people turn out, and when unions set a date for a wider strike.
Colombia faces union and teachers’ marches on Wednesday 14 October, a national protest day against the conservative President Abelardo de la Espriella. Organisers call it a warm-up for a wider Colombia strike, which they have not yet dated.
The largest events are planned in Bogotá, with gatherings also announced in Medellín, Cali, Barranquilla and Bucaramanga. For US visitors and companies, the practical risk is slower roads and public transport in city centres, not a shutdown of the country.
The day also tests a promise the President made on national television. He vowed that roads and bus lanes would never again be held by permanent blockades.
Who Called the 14 October Marches
Bogotá’s city government published its protest agenda on Monday 12 October. It lists a “preparatory mobilisation for the strike against the Government” called by the CUT, CTC, CGT, CDP, Fecode, the Pacto Histórico and Alianza por la Vida.
The CUT is the Central Unitaria de Trabajadores, a national union confederation, and Fecode is the national teachers’ federation. The Pacto Histórico is the left-wing coalition of former President Gustavo Petro, De la Espriella’s predecessor.
One listed name has stepped back, however. On Friday 9 October the CGT, another union confederation, said it “does not mobilise or call on its affiliated organisations” to march, according to Publimetro.
Teachers form the core of the day. The Asociación Distrital de Educadores, the Bogotá teachers’ union, has called its own march under the slogan that the city’s teachers “stop and mobilise”.
Their demands centre on public education and the teachers’ health scheme, run through the Fondo Nacional de Prestaciones Sociales del Magisterio. Publimetro and Infobae also list the 2027 minimum wage, labour benefits and damage from the August earthquake.
Petro has said he will join the Bogotá march. “I will be at the 14 October march in Bogotá, and I expect all the working people of the city,” he wrote, according to Infobae.
The protest calendar was first set by unions in September, as we reported in Colombia’s Election Runner-Up Backs Union Protests Against New President. Organisers are considering a national strike in November but have given no date, Publimetro reports.
Where and When People Will March
In Bogotá, teachers gather at Parque Nacional, on Carrera Séptima at Calle 26, at 10:00 a.m., or 11:00 a.m. in New York. A city notice on Tuesday puts the union march there from 9:30 a.m., with both heading to Plaza de Bolívar.
The city also lists a university march from the Universidad Colegio Mayor de Cundinamarca and a march in the southern district of Usme, both without a confirmed time. It expects marchers on Carrera Séptima, Carrera Décima and Calle 26, and warns that routes may change.
Outside the capital, Noticiero 90 Minutos lists Cali at 9:00 a.m. from the Jairo Varela square towards the Parque de las Banderas. It lists Medellín at 10:00 a.m. from the Adida teachers’ union, the Universidad de Antioquia and the Aventura shopping centre.
El Colombiano names Plaza San Antonio as the main point in Medellín, while Publimetro warns that neither it nor Cali’s Plaza de Cayzedo is confirmed. We found no march plan published by the mayors’ offices of Medellín or Cali by Tuesday evening.
Barranquilla gathers at 10:00 a.m. on the Paseo Bolívar, and Bucaramanga at 9:00 a.m. from two points heading to the Luis Carlos Galán square. Ibágué, Armenia and Riohacha also expect early morning gatherings, according to the same list.
What the Protest Decree Allows Police
President De la Espriella addressed the country on Monday evening, El Tiempo reported. “Never again a permanent blockade of a highway, never again a TransMilenio lane turned into a trench,” he said.
He also said peaceful marchers would be protected and that dialogue would be the rule. “If they intend to set Colombia on fire, they will meet the determination of the Tiger,” he added, referring to himself.
The decree itself had not been published in the reports we reviewed on Tuesday. El Tiempo quoted the President as saying it would be known “in the coming days”, while Publimetro says the Interior Minister called the marches an early test of it.
The draft text, described by Asuntos Legales on 8 October, amends Decree 003 of 2021, the current protocol for policing protests. It defines violent acts, such as attacks on people, throwing dangerous objects and blocking medical missions.
Under the draft, dialogue stays the first response, and force is an exceptional measure once set criteria show that dialogue is exhausted. The UNDMO, the riot unit formerly called the ESMAD, is reserved for wider violent situations.
The draft also creates “solidarity corridors” so that roads and TransMilenio lanes are not closed indefinitely. For the earlier stages of the text, see Colombia Readies Protest Decree Before Rallies.
What It Means for US Readers
Travellers in Bogotá should expect slower traffic and TransMilenio changes, mainly around Santa Fe, Teusaquillo, La Candelaria and Usme, Publimetro reports. The city advises people to plan trips early and to allow for detours and closures.
None of the official notices we reviewed announced airport closures or flight cancellations for Wednesday. Travellers heading to El Dorado airport should still leave extra time, because marches can block roads without warning.
The US State Department rates Colombia Level 3, “Reconsider travel”, citing crime, terrorism, civil unrest and kidnapping. It warns that political demonstrations can “shut down roads and highways without notice” and advises visitors to avoid crowds.
For investors, the Colombia strike day is an early read on how much street pressure the new government faces. Road blockades matter for freight, supply chains and the daily running of cities.
A calm day would support the government’s case that its rules protect both marchers and commuters. Clashes or long blockades would raise the stakes before any wider Colombia strike in November.
What Is Not Known
It is not known whether the President will sign the protest decree before Wednesday, or what its final wording will be. Its exact rules on when police may act could still differ from the draft.
Turnout is also unknown, and no organiser has given a target figure. The unions have not set a date for the wider Colombia strike they are preparing, and the CGT is staying out for now.
Bogotá’s education department says public schools will hold classes as normal, and asks marching teachers to protest outside class hours. How many teachers stay away from classrooms will only be clear on the day.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a national strike in Colombia on 14 October?
Unions and teachers call 14 October a national mobilisation and a warm-up for a wider strike. Bogotá says its public schools will open as normal, and no date has been set for a general Colombia strike.
Who called the 14 October marches?
Bogotá’s agenda lists the CUT, CTC, CGT, CDP, Fecode, the Pacto Histórico and Alianza por la Vida. The CGT later said it would not mobilise its members.
Where do the marches start in Bogotá?
Unions gather at Parque Nacional from 9:30 a.m. and teachers from 10:00 a.m., heading to Plaza de Bolívar. The university and Usme marches had no confirmed time on Tuesday.
Will flights from the US be affected?
None of the official notices we reviewed announced airport closures or flight cancellations. Travellers should leave extra time for road journeys to El Dorado airport.
Who is President Abelardo de la Espriella?
He is Colombia’s conservative president, who has promised a firm line on road blockades. Our profile Who Is Abelardo de la Espriella? Colombia’s President sets out his agenda and his critics.
What does the new protest decree do?
The draft defines violent acts, keeps dialogue as the first response and creates corridors to stop indefinite road blockades. It had not been published in final form by Tuesday.
Sources: Alcaldía de Bogotá, marches on 14 October (13 October 2026); Bogotá Education Secretariat, classes on 14 October; Alcaldía de Bogotá, protest agenda 13 to 18 October (12 October 2026); El Tiempo, Bogotá protest week; El Tiempo, presidential address of 12 October; El Colombiano; Infobae; Publimetro, 14 October marches; Publimetro, CGT statement; Noticiero 90 Minutos; Asuntos Legales, draft decree; US State Department, Colombia travel advisory.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief