Warning of a strike by the construction union is added to the indefinite strike in Panama

First modification: 07/11/2022 – 23:02

A 24-hour “warning strike” for Wednesday July 13 was announced by the powerful Panamanian construction union Suntracs, as part of the protests that have been taking place since July 6 in the country and that demand the Government cheapen fuel and set it below $6 a gallon. In addition, among others, to lower the cost of food and increase wages.

These protests are promoted by the United People for Life Alliance, to which Suntracs belongs, and the National Alliance for the Rights of the Organized People (Anadepo).

This Sunday the demonstrations of the different unions continued, among them, Asoprof, that of teachers (in addition to students who accompany them) of public schools that announced on Friday, July 8 that the strike will be indefinite and warned that the Government has not given signs to offer real solutions to the demands of the population, despite the fact that he called for dialogue.

The newspaper ‘La Estrella de Panamá’ interviewed the leader of Asoprof, Diógenes Sánchez, and says that he hopes that the Government “does not make a mistake and tries to divide the fundamental actors that are in this fight, we are signaling that there be a single table not only in the province of Veraguas, also in the capital city, the case of the medical unions, the workers’ unions,” he said.

Disbelief towards the promises of the Government

They accuse the Government of Laurentino Cortizo of “rambling and telling stories” about issues such as freezing the price of fuel or approving a general increase in wages that has not occurred since the 1980s.

Saúl Méndez, general secretary of Suntracs and former left-wing presidential candidate, was in charge of announcing the 24-hour strike “to demand concrete answers from the government”, and stated that “there is a way out of the problem, but they do not want to continue benefiting the powers economic”.

The installation in the province of Veraguas of a work table convened by the Government, to which Anadepo is invited, is planned for this Monday “to attend to the high cost of fuel and that directly impacts the cost of the basket basic,” Méndez explained.

The general secretary of Suntracs made a call to the United People’s Alliance, in which Suntracs participates, and also to the one that was born in the interior, Anadepo, to “coordinate efforts and look for concrete, flat, simple solutions that It’s what our people want.”

Panamanian unions urge dialogue to stop the crisis

The unions ask the Government to start a dialogue to find solutions to the social crisis. In a statement, the Panamanian Association of Business Executives (Apede), asked the State to safeguard constitutional rights such as free transit, work, health and education.

For its part, the Panamanian television channel TVN Noticias reports that the president of the Private Enterprise Council (Conep), Rubén Castillo, pointed out that dialogue is the best method to resolve differences and called for the protests to end. “It is unacceptable -explains Castillo- that the protests are used to promote ideological agendas that only seek to stimulate the social explosion and the deepening of the crisis,” writes the media.

The businessmen argue that the closures of the highways and especially the Inter-American highway that connects with Central America, “have caused millions in losses and the students are the big losers due to a teachers’ strike that takes place when the educational system tries to rise from the blow of the pandemic” , indicates the employer.

Crackdown on protests

Saúl Méndez, the Suntracs union leader, warned that an eventual campaign to repress the protests “will radicalize the people, who are in the streets” tired of the “lies” of traditional politicians.

In the demonstrations, the vast majority of them peaceful, chants are heard against what is considered abuses of power or the waste of resources in all public powers and the displays of opulence by parliamentarians.

With EFE and local media