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Last week, the government of Ricardo Martinelli unleashed a
bloody repression against workers in Bocas del Toro.
Sirel spoke
with Justiniano Buitrago, organization secretary of the
Workers’ Confederation of the Republic of Panama (CTRP) and
the Industrial Packaging and Food Workers Union (SITEA), an
IUF affiliate.
-Can you tell us what the impact
of
Law 30 is?
-Generally speaking, it’s a law that has no backing in the
population and which attacks trade unions directly, among
other things, because it contains a clause that eliminates
the possibility of deducting payment of union fees from
salaries and practically does away with the workers’ right
to strike. In addition, it gives the National Police free
reign to savagely repress the population, like it did in
Bocas del Toro.
After the July 8 incidents, which resulted in a true
massacre of banana workers and citizens of Changuinola, in
Bocas del Toro, Law 30 will be reconsidered by Congress. But
discussion will focus only on the clauses pertaining
specifically to the labor code reform. Panama’s labor
movement, however, is demanding that the law be completely
repealed.
-What can you tell us about what happened on July 8?
-The repression orchestrated by the government against
banana workers who were protesting peacefully was a clear
violation of human rights. A total of nine people were
killed, and over 100 were wounded -a toll that evidences a
brutally violent repression. An important number of workers
lost their eyesight as a result of pellet shots fired by
riot police straight at their faces.
-How has this repression impacted public opinion in Panama?
-Public opinion in general is outraged, and the media
covered the repression and is showing it throughout the
country. The negative impact was such that polls reveal a
sharp drop in President Martinelli’s popularity - and
we’re talking about a president who was elected with 70
percent of the vote.
So it’s clear that Panamanians are fully behind the
rejection of Law 30, a law that came out of nowhere and was
arbitrarily imposed overnight, without prior consultation to
the affected stakeholders. Which is why it triggered
opposition and demonstrations across the country, ultimately
resulting in the deplorably violent repression in Bocas del
Toro.
Panama’s labor movement will not stop until this law is
repealed.
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