Panama Construction
Strike Threat Renewed
By Adam Thomson
Panama’s largest
construction workers’
union on Monday renewed
its threat to call a
national strike as part
of protests to raise
safety conditions on
building sites, boost
the minimum wage and
lower basic food prices.
The threat, made by
Genaro López,
secretary-general of the
Suntracs builders’
union, comes in spite of
a presidential decree on
Saturday that aims to
address workers’ demands
for more rigorous safety
standards on most of
Panama’s building sites.
But in an interview on
Monday Mr López
hinted strongly that the
decree might not be
enough: “This protest
goes far beyond labour
safety conditions.”
He said his union had
called a meeting this
Saturday to decide its
action.
Some experts fear that a
long protest by Suntracs’
50,000 members could
disrupt a dynamic sector
of Latin America’s best
performing economy.
Last year, the country
grew 10 per cent,
according to official
figures released this
week, about 30 per cent
more than initial
government estimates
made at the end of 2006.
Much of that growth was
thanks to a construction
boom that is
transforming the Panama
City skyline.
According to Samuel
Lewis, Panama’s
vice-president, direct
foreign investment was
expected to have reached
us$2.5 billion by the
end of last year.
Mr López’s comments
follow a week of protest
as construction workers
took to the streets at
the beginning of last
week. On Wednesday,
about 200 union members
were detained and
arrested after Iromi
Smith, a colleague, was
shot dead.
Residents of Panama City
and Colón on the
country’s Atlantic
coast, waited in
anticipation on Monday
of further clashes
between police and
protesters at Mr Smith’s
funeral, on Tuesday in
the city of Cólon. |
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