Panama: Repression of National Strike Drives More Workers Into Streets

After 11 days of strike, Panamanian workers from across sectors are not giving up their struggle against the economic plans of the government of President José Raúl Mulino, its security agreements with the US government, and its plans to reopen a huge copper mine that closed in 2023. Not only have workers continued to mobilize, but they have been joined in their struggle by more sectors of society.

Workers claim that Law 462, passed on March 18, 2025, opens the door for the privatization of Social Security, increases the retirement age, and halves the amount of money for future pensions, among other things. Panamanian society has also firmly manifested its rejection of the project to hand over their territory for the establishment of several US military bases and the plan to grant free transit to US warships through the Panama Canal.

The strike is being led by the Single Union of Workers of the Construction and Similar Industries (SUNTRACS), the Association of Professors of Panama (ASOPROF), and by the Union of Workers of the Banana Industry (SITRAIBANA). And, as the days have gone by, more unions of teachers, doctors, nurses, dentists, peasants, Indigenous organizations, student movements, parents’ associations, neighborhood groups, etc. have joined the strike. 

As a result, not only productive but also educational activities have come to a halt, and several hospitals have even declared a strike in response to Law 462 and Mulino’s security policy.

Students and educational workers unite with other sectors in Panama’s national strike. Photo: SUNTRACS

University students join the struggle

On May 6, thousands of students, administrative workers, and professors of the University of Panama participated in a massive mobilization in Panama City in support of the workers’ strike under the slogan “For university autonomy and national sovereignty”. They chanted “Without struggle there is no victory” or “Hey, Mulino, take a picture, so you don’t say we are just four people” in the heart of the Panamanian capital, marching through key avenues.

One student at the march told La Estrella de Panamá that they were supporting the strike because, “We are tired of [the government] calling us a den of terrorists. And we are against the Social Security law. It’s unfair to work so hard to retire with so little money.”

Panamanian university students have long been part of the struggle for national sovereignty, beginning in 1958, when a group of young people planted 75 Panamanian flags at various points in the Canal Zone, a territory then administered by the United States.

“The university is a space for debate, a space where all ideological and political currents have always coexisted. We have had repressive governments and states, and we have known how to confront them. In this moment we are living, our worst moment, where the President of the Republic calls us a den of criminals, terrorists, delinquents… Historically, there have been demonstrations at the University of Panama. All politicians, when they are in opposition, applaud. When they are in government, they repress,” said university professor Gilberto Marulanda.

Protesters denounce repression and the violation of human rights

Another front of struggle has taken place in the streets and highways of the country, where organized workers have staged significant road blockades to raise their demands. These actions have provoked the reaction of the state which has intervened and repressed demonstrations under the pretext of freeing the streets and allowing the flow of vehicles. Journalist Andrés Lobo said in this regard “When the business chambers have urged the Government to act against the strike and avoid new road blockades, President José Raúl Mulino has responded with police repression, forcibly clearing the road blockades and arresting protesters, including at least 30 members of Suntracs and 11 workers of Metro Line 3.”

This happened in San Félix, province of Chiquirí, where confrontations were registered between demonstrators and state security forces, which used tear gas and pellets against the workers. In addition to these acts of repression, Yamir Córdoba, coordinator of the United People for Life Alliance, was arrested last Monday.

The government’s repression has also been denounced by the National Coordination of Indigenous Peoples, which states that several Indigenous leaders who led the demonstrations have been detained by the forces of law and order. In addition, the National Coordinator of Indigenous Peoples has denounced human rights violations by the police. The clashes in the Ngäbe-Buglé Comarca seem to be worsening and could spread to the rest of the country.

In addition to police repression, the government is relentlessly seeking to break the strike. The Mulino administration has threatened to withhold and deduct the wages of workers who do not report to their workplace. In addition, private companies have indirectly informed the workers that if they do not return to work promptly, they will lose their jobs. The enterprise Chiquita Panama said that 6,000 workers could be dismissed if the strike continues.

SUNTRACS announces that the strike will continue

Photo: SUNTRACS

In response to the repression and threats, SUNTRACS said via X: “The simultaneous repression in all provinces of teachers, students, parents, workers, and all those who exercise the legitimate right to protest, the only thing that makes the people rise more and more. The Panama Police and José Raúl Mulino are guilty of that.”

They also affirmed that they will not give up their struggle until the government reverses its neoliberal and anti-sovereignty policies. They have vowed to continue the strike until the government listen to the workers’ demands and engage in earnest dialogue, instead of stigmatizing, threatening, and repressing.

Courtesy: Peoples Dispatch