In the framework of the International Solidarity Campaign with Panamanian workers led by the Trade Union Confederation of the Americas (TUCA), Public Services International (PSI) and its affiliates actively participated in the days of action and mobilization held on July 22 and 23 in Panama City, reaffirming its commitment to the Panamanian working class in the face of the growing repression, persecution and criminalization carried out by the national government.

PSI representatives joined union federations and confederations, civil society organizations, indigenous peoples, students and independent media in denouncing systematic violations of human and labour rights, in direct contravention of ILO Conventions 87 and 98 on freedom of association and collective bargaining.

The intention of the Panamanian government to co-opt the state retirement system through legislative proposal 462, which threatens to dismantle the public pension system, was highlighted. Likewise, more than 2,000 unjustified dismissals were reported in the banana industry, as well as in the educational sector, where hundreds of teachers have been arbitrarily dismissed.

An alarming escalation of repression against the union movement was also documented, with a systematic attack on the Sindicato Único Nacional de Trabajadores de la Construcción y Similares (SUNTRACS), whose leaders have been persecuted, criminalized and victims of economic sanctions that threaten their organizational capacity.

"What the government is doing to unions in Panama is historic, because we have never seen repression of this magnitude," said Alejandro Haynes, general secretary of the National Federation of Public Servants (FENASEP). "Every five years we see how the cycle of massive layoffs repeats itself. It is a structural condition that we continue to face since the founding of our organization," he added.

PSI's First Vice-President Federico Dávila stressed that the Panamanian government's offensive is part of a global trend. "We are facing a policy driven by a financial oligarchy that generates poverty and provokes migration, and that sees in the trade union organizations the last barrier to its interests of power. That is why we say: people over profit."

In May, PSI expressed its concern at the grave situation facing the Panamanian trade union movement under the current government of President José Raúl Mulino. The federation denounced the improper withholding of Educational Insurance funds established by law of the Republic since 1971 as a mechanism for financing union training. These funds have been essential for the development of multiple initiatives linked to union, professional and cooperative training, as well as to the strengthening of education in different sectors of Panamanian society.

"In the face of repression and criminalization of trade unionism and the working class in Panama, the demonstration of support, unity and regional trade union solidarity by PSI affiliates is transcendental. We will be actively working to make visible and support the struggle and resistance of Panamanian workers," said Claudia Sule, PSI sub-regional secretary for Central America and Mexico.

PSI will share the results of this mission with international organizations and governments around the world as part of its commitment to the defense of human, labour and trade union rights in Panama and around the world.