Panama City, February 24, 2025
On February 19, cheerful crowds of supporters celebrated the release of the remaining 83 detained protesters, marking a major win for Panama’s working class movement. Following overwhelming public support and fierce pressure from labor groups in the wake of large arrests earlier this month, the releases were made.
The conflict started on February 12 when hundreds of workers demonstrated against President José Raúl Mulino’s policies and Bill 163, which would privatize social security. 480 people were arrested as a result of the police’s harsh suppression of the protest. While SUNTRACS (National Union of Workers of Construction and Similar Industries) insisted the demonstrators were demonstrating in accordance with their legal right, President Mulino declared them terrorists.
Some demonstrators said they were physically abused while being held. The Public Prosecutor’s Office attempted to keep 83 workers in custody, claiming they had committed crimes against economic patrimony, collective security, individual freedom, and personal integrity. The majority of detainees were immediately released.
Families and coworkers showed unflinching solidarity by keeping a constant vigil outside the jail. The Mulino government has been asked by the International Labor Organization to provide explanations for how it has handled demonstrators.
The movement’s demands cover a wider range of national sovereignty problems in addition to worker rights. Mulino’s administration is criticized by protesters for giving in to American demands, including as agreements to hold migrants in Panamanian territory.
SUNTRACS has announced plans for continued mobilization. A major demonstration is scheduled for February 20, focusing on three key demands:
- Opposition to social security privatization
- Resistance to foreign interference in national affairs
- Protection of migrants’ and citizens’ human rights
The union emphasized that the struggle continues: “The working class stands united in defense of its interests. Social security is a human right, and we will defend it until the end.”
This victory for the protest movement has garnered significant national and international solidarity, marking a crucial moment in Panama’s ongoing struggle for workers’ rights and national sovereignty.