According to El Mostrador, the Comisión de Trabajo y Seguridad Social (Labor and Social Security Committee) of the Cámara de Diputados (Chile's lower house) postponed the general vote on the Sala Cuna (nursery care) bill to Tuesday, October 20. The goal is to make room for talks to reach an agreement on how it will be funded.
The bill is in its second constitutional stage and has "discusión inmediata" (top legislative urgency). The committee chair, Republican deputy José Carlos Meza, proposed setting the vote for the regular session after district week. Lawmakers backed the idea.
The core sticking point is money. The Executive proposes offsetting the resources for the new fund with an equivalent cut in the contributions employers pay into the Seguro de Cesantía (unemployment insurance). The Senado (Senate) rejected that formula while it was reviewing the bill.
Labor Minister Tomás Rau said he was willing to consider alternatives. However, he set a limit. "We cannot raise labor costs, especially at a time when unemployment is at 9.6%", he said. Unemployment reached 9.6% in the June-August quarter, and the debate coincides with the discussion of the Budget.
The president of the Frente Amplio party, deputy Gael Yeomans, laid out four conditions. That no one loses rights under their unemployment insurance. That families do not have to make co-payments. That the public network receives support to provide care during hours compatible with the workday. And that a higher educational standard is guaranteed for children.
"If a formula meets these, we are ready to agree to it," Yeomans told El Mostrador. In her view, an agreement before October 20 is feasible if the Government calls for talks. "Minister Rau holds the key," she said, noting that the opposition and the Partido de la Gente (PDG) have already submitted their conditions in writing.
From Renovación Nacional, deputy Ximena Ossandón is seeking a middle ground with those who reject having all the funding come from the Seguro de Cesantía. She said the sticking points are co-payment, entitlement and funding. She also said she is working on the issue with the Dirección de Presupuestos (Dipres, the Budget Office).
Ossandón said she was confident of achieving a cross-party vote, though not a unanimous one. Meanwhile, both the governing coalition and the opposition acknowledge that unlocking the funding depends on Finance Minister Jorge Quiroz and his willingness to relax the red lines the Executive set in the Senate.
Who wins and who loses is at stake. Working families hope for wider access to nursery care. Employers fear higher hiring costs. Workers are defending the funds in their unemployment insurance.
The Partido Socialista reiterated that it will not support using the Seguro de Cesantía and asked the Government for a better offer. Lawmakers admit that a general vote is not viable without sufficient political backing. The deadline is October 20.
