Across Panama, the streets echo with chants of resistance. Unionized workers, teachers, Indigenous communities, students, agricultural laborers, and health professionals have united in a historic general strike that has lasted more than a month. At its heart lies a popular outcry against decades of neoliberal austerity, exploitation, and foreign domination that have left the Panamanian people increasingly dispossessed in their own land.
At the center of the storm stands the administration of President José Raúl Mulino, whose short time in office has already become synonymous with repression, privatization, and surrender to foreign interests. Despite fierce police crackdowns, arbitrary arrests, media demonization, and attempts at divide-and-rule tactics, the movement continues to grow. This uprising marks a pivotal moment in Panamanian history, one in which the working class and marginalized sectors are drawing a line: enough is enough.
A Legacy of Exploitation and Betrayal
To understand the ongoing resistance, we must examine the long arc of neoliberalism in Panama. For over four decades, successive governments have imposed economic policies dictated by the global capitalist system: privatizing public services, dismantling labor rights, and handing national resources to private and foreign capital. Mulino’s administration represents the latest and perhaps most extreme iteration of this betrayal.
Mulino’s roots lie deep within the pro-oligarchy, pro-imperialist establishment. A figure from the political elite who supported the 1989 US invasion of Panama, Mulino has climbed the ranks of state power by aligning with both national oligarchs and foreign interests. His presidency was enabled at the last minute by Panama’s economic powers, bypassing any real popular mandate. In power, he has wasted no time in pushing through sweeping neoliberal reforms that have incensed workers and widened inequality.
Law 462: A Line in the Sand
Among the most controversial measures is Law 462, a reform of the Social Security Fund. Introduced stealthily, the law raises the retirement age, increases workers’ contributions, and diverts billions in public funds to private banks. These banks, already bloated from years of speculation, now stand to profit even further at the expense of the working class.
The law is emblematic of a broader agenda: shifting the burden of economic crisis onto workers while shielding the wealthy from accountability. Instead of addressing structural problems such as wage stagnation, job insecurity, or the high cost of living, the government has chosen to extract more from the already overburdened.
The popular response has been resolute. Mass mobilizations across cities and rural areas alike have voiced an unequivocal demand: repeal Law 462. The slogan “Sin lucha no hay victoria” (Without struggle, there is no victory) has become the rallying cry of a new era of resistance.
US Military Presence and National Sovereignty
The unrest is not only about economic justice. It is also a fight for national sovereignty. A recently signed memorandum of understanding between the Panamanian government and the US Army has sparked outrage among the public. This agreement, allowing US troops into the country under the guise of humanitarian and civic projects, is viewed by many as a violation of Panama’s sovereignty and a dangerous step backward to the era of US military domination.
This development follows a pattern: President Mulino, even before assuming office, had signaled his alignment with US interests, meeting top US officials and breaking ties with China’s Belt and Road Initiative. His administration’s decision to hand over control of Panama’s strategic ports to financial giants such as BlackRock further reveals a state apparatus willingly relinquishing national assets.
For many Panamanians, especially those who remember the traumatic US invasion of 1989, the return of foreign troops on national soil is unacceptable. The strikes and protests are therefore as much about defending Panama’s dignity as they are about protecting pensions or labor rights.
Persecution of Union Leaders
The government has responded to the growing movement with a campaign of repression. Leaders of SUNTRACS (the National Union of Workers of Construction and Similar Industries) have faced criminal charges, arrests, and surveillance. Bank accounts of the union have been frozen. Jaime Caballero and Genaro López, prominent figures in the movement, are currently imprisoned on dubious charges of money laundering. Meanwhile, SUNTRACS General Secretary Saúl Méndez has sought political asylum in the Bolivian Embassy, fearing further persecution.
This blatant attack on labor leaders violates international labor conventions to which Panama is a signatory, including ILO Conventions 89 and 97. These are not isolated incidents; they are part of a larger pattern of criminalizing dissent and dismantling the organizational capacity of the people.
A Movement That Crosses Sectors and Regions
What makes the current mobilization so powerful is its breadth. Indigenous communities, especially from Bocas del Toro and Emberá Wounaan territories, have joined in large numbers. Students and educators have walked out of schools and universities. Healthcare workers, including doctors and nurses, are voicing solidarity and participating in protests.
Each sector brings its own grievances, but all are unified in their rejection of the current government’s agenda. They are also bound together by a common vision: a democratic, sovereign Panama that prioritizes people over profit.
Even within the highly controlled mainstream media landscape, cracks are appearing. Independent journalists and alternative media are amplifying the voices of the movement, circumventing corporate narratives that frame the protesters as radicals or disruptors. Social media has become a battleground for truth, where images of police brutality contrast sharply with the discipline and organization of the strikers.
Strategic Sabotage and Manufactured Dialogue
In an attempt to break the momentum, the government has engaged in deceptive tactics. One such effort involves fabricating a narrative that certain labor sectors, particularly in the banana plantations of Bocas del Toro, are willing to compromise. But these claims are contradicted by local leaders, who remain committed to the core demands.
The regime has also coerced university officials into prosecuting student protesters and used the judiciary to target educators. These measures aim to intimidate and divide, but they have largely failed. Instead, they have added fuel to the fire, hardening the resolve of the movement.
The Canal and the Question of Control
The Panama Canal, a symbol of both national pride and imperialist intrusion, has once again become a focal point of struggle. The government’s plan to construct new water reservoirs to serve the canal is seen by many as yet another resource grab, prioritizing corporate and foreign interests over the environmental and social well-being of Panamanians.
While the canal generates billions annually, the benefits rarely trickle down to the people. Control remains in the hands of a few oligarchic factions that treat national infrastructure as private property. The growing call is not just for transparency but for true popular control over the canal and other strategic resources.
Where Does the Struggle Go From Here?
The strike continues with resilience and determination. Though the government has begun to signal a willingness to “dialogue,” the people have made clear that only meaningful, democratic negotiations will be accepted—ones where grassroots organizations, not elite intermediaries, sit at the table.
The movement’s demands remain non-negotiable: repeal Law 462, annul the memorandum with the US Army, close the mining project declared unconstitutional in 2023, reopen union bank accounts, and end the persecution of union leaders and protesters. These are not simply demands for reform. They are assertions of collective power, of dignity, and of the right of a people to shape their own destiny.
More importantly, this is not an isolated national event. It is part of a broader continental and global wave of popular resistance against authoritarianism, foreign domination, and capitalist exploitation. In the Global South, movements like Panama’s remind us that the struggle for justice is still alive, still urgent, and still being waged by those who believe in a world beyond profit and plunder.
As the people of Panama continue their courageous resistance, the international community must not remain silent. Words of encouragement, acts of solidarity, and the sharing of their struggle are vital. The battle in Panama is a fight not just for pensions or labor rights but for national sovereignty, for dignity, and for a future defined by the will of the people, not by the whims of oligarchs or foreign powers.
Let us remember: without struggle, there is no victory. And in Panama today, a new generation is showing the world exactly what that means.