In Panama, Authorities Are Cracking Down on Mass Strikes
In a country with little left-wing politics, Panama’s nearly two-month-long strike movement has shown the power of organized labor. The government has responded with repression, acting as a rearguard for multinationals like Chiquita.
Workers take part in a protest against the government of President José Raúl Mulino amid an indefinite strike in Panama City on May 20, 2025. (Martin Bernetti / AFP via Getty Images)
For almost two months, Panama has seen a national strike against privatization, mega-mining, and US imperialism. It is the country’s third period of mass civil unrest since 2022. Capital and the government have retaliated through police repression, persecution, and mass firings. Yet this has been unable to stifle widespread criticism of elected officials and mainstream political figures, focused mainly on the defense of Panamanian sovereignty and the government’s disregard of due process.
Without a left-wing party to represent the movement’s demands, there is no clear end to the tug-of-war between the workers and an increasingly authoritarian state backed by big business and the United States. But after previous mass protests in 2022 and 2023, can these past demonstrations teach us something about where today’s movement is headed?
Growing Repression
The mobilizations have involved the banana, construction, and teachers’ unions, who called for an indefinite strike on April 28, as well as students, feminists, indigenous populations, and other social movements. The demands carry over grievances from the previous demonstrations: the under-resourced social security fund, now facing imminent privatization after the approval of a new law, and President José Raúl Mulino’s stated intentions to reopen the Canadian-owned Donoso mine.
Sorry, but this article is available to active subscribers only. Please log in or become a subscriber.