Chile's Karin Law Prompts Recommendation for Formal Labor Mediation
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TL;DR
- Chile's Karin Law aimed to address workplace harassment but has led to heavy caseloads.
- By January 2026, over 68,000 complaints were filed; less than 20% involved verified violations.
- Procedures designed for one month now take up to eight months due to overload.
- Experts recommend introducing formal labor mediation to manage non-harassment cases.
Overview
Nearly two years after Chile implemented the Karin Law (Law No. 21.643) targeting workplace harassment, experts report significant case backlogs at the country's labor authority. Many of these cases do not involve actual harassment but rather general workplace conflicts. As a result, there are calls to formalize labor mediation processes to provide faster and more appropriate resolutions for such disputes.
What Happened
The Karin Law was introduced to create a preventive culture against workplace harassment in Chile.
As of January 2026, the Dirección del Trabajo (Labor Directorate) had received 68,468 complaints, but nearly half were unrelated to harassment or violence.
Less than 20% of concluded investigations confirmed any violation, while procedures meant to be completed in 30 days now take approximately eight months due to the caseload.
Critics point to a lack of entry filters in the legal definition, leading many minor conflicts or incivilities to be reported as harassment. There are recommendations to implement a formal labor mediation system to more appropriately process cases that do not meet the threshold for harassment.
Context
Chile's existing procedure for workplace harassment complaints under the Karin Law faces overload due to broad definitions and lack of effective filtering. Current processes impose obligations and timelines that are difficult for both employers and the labor authority to meet.
A new government regulation is anticipated to address these procedural shortcomings, potentially introducing stricter admissibility criteria and mediation options for non-harassment workplace conflicts.
Why It Matters
- A formal labor mediation track could reduce administrative bottlenecks and provide faster, more suitable outcomes for many employment-related conflicts.
- Implementing mediation may allow the labor authority to focus on genuine cases of workplace harassment and improve the overall effectiveness of workplace protections in Chile.