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Panama: Stop attacks on SUNTRACS

In partnership with BWI (Building and Wood Workers' International), a global union federation that brings together 361 free and democratic unions, representing a total of 12 million members in the Building, Building Materials, Wood, Forestry, and Allied sectors across 115 countries. BWI's core mission is to safeguard and promote workers' rights while enhancing working and living conditions, asserting that trade union rights are inherently human rights, rooted in principles of equality, solidarity, and democracy.

The Building and Wood Workers’ International (BWI) and LabourStart urgently call on you to join us in demanding that the Panamanian government respect the freedom of association and stop persecuting trade unions. SUNTRACS, the Single National Union of the Construction and Similar Industries of Panama, and its leaders, is being penalized with persecutory, repressive and intimidating treatment by Panamanian authorities for its prominent role in the protests which defeated a 40-year mining concession for transnational company First Quantum Minerals. The extractive policy would have caused grave social and environmental damage. Due to the protests, the unionists are improperly being accused of terrorism. SUNTRACS leaders Saúl Méndez, General Secretary, Jaime Caballero, Secretary of Foreign Affairs, as well as the leader of the comarca Toribio García and the teacher Diógenes Sánchez are being sued by the Public Prosecutor's Office, accused of committing crimes against freedom and the economic order to the detriment of Panamanian society. Furthermore, on 13 November, the state-owned Savings Bank closed SUNTRACS bank accounts, in a deliberate action to obstruct the right to protest and the exercise of freedom of association, resulting in an illegal state interference in trade union life based on false accusations of terrorism. Unionism is not a crime! Trade unions should not be penalized for their mobilization in defense of social and environmental rights!
We ask the Panamanian government to immediately stop persecuting SUNTRACS and respect the freedom of association!

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Type in your message here - or just use the existing message. We have come to you express our repudiation of the actions of persecution, defamation, psychological intimidation and the filing of alleged legal cases against leaders and officials of the Unified Union of Construction and Allied Workers of Panama, SUNTRACS. We also repudiate the unilateral decision of the Panamanian State-owned Bank ’Caja de Ahorro’ to freeze SUNTRACS’ bank accounts and of some of its leaders. Leaders and employees of this organisation are being subjected to arrests, harassment and unfounded accusations. We reject the lack of freedom of association found in the criminal accusations against SUNTRACS leaders: Saul Mendez, General Secretary of SUNTRACS and BWI Deputy President; Jaime Caballero, Secretary of Foreign Affairs; Diógenes Sanchez and Toribio García, who are being accused by the Public Prosecutor's Office for allegedly committing crimes during the protests the Law 406. The freedom of Association and the integrity of trade union leaders are seriously menaced in Panama. We request the immediate unfreezing of SUNTRACS bank accounts and stop the union-busting measures, which constitute violations of ILO Conventions 87 and 98, to which Panama is a signatory. Enter the number 5376 here: Thank you Would you like to receive future urgent action alerts from us? Yes : No : LabourStart takes your privacy very seriously. Read our privacy statement here. Your message will be sent to the following email addresses: sgeneral@asamblea.gob.pa, mitradel@mitradel.gob.pa, rvigil@mire.gob.pa, asuntosjuridicos@mire.gob.pa