News
Tuesday 29th April 2025.
April 28, 2025
Amid the controversy surrounding the teachers’ strike affecting the country’s public schools, Comptroller General Anel Flores warned that strict measures will be taken to ensure that the corresponding salary reductions are applied.
In a statement, Flores explained that during the first strike held weeks ago, deductions could not be made because school principals failed to submit attendance reports to the Human Resources Department on time.
According to the report, reports of tardiness and absences were not submitted because the directors reported having received threats.
The comptroller, however, made it clear that he will not allow this situation to happen again. “Look, I’m not going to make any threats, but I will say this: we have already identified all the school principals nationwide,” he said.
As a pressure measure, Flores announced that, for the next two weeks, payments to directors will no longer be made by ACH (bank transfer), but rather by physical checks, which will be held until each director submits their completed attendance reports.
Flores emphasized that this decision seeks to ensure accountability and the proper application of sanctions for non-attendance. “Here, anyone who doesn’t work won’t get paid, and that will be enforced with or without them,” he warned bluntly.
The official emphasized that the Comptroller’s Office will act to ensure that public funds are used responsibly and that those who fail to fulfill their obligations do not receive improper compensation.
The measure was met with mixed reactions from education unions and the public. While some sectors view the action as necessary to curb absenteeism and the lack of oversight in the education system, others warn that it could increase tensions in a context already marked by protests and discontent.
However, Flores insisted that transparency and compliance with labor regulations must prevail, even more so at a time when the country is facing significant economic challenges.
Amid the tension generated by recent blockades and mobilizations across the country, the Minister of Labor and Workforce Development, Jackeline Muñoz, stated in an exclusive interview with La Prensa that “there is no strike” currently in Panama. According to the official, what is being observed is a “de facto work stoppage” called by the Single Union of Construction and Related Workers (Suntracs) and some teaching sectors, without complying with the established legal requirements.
Muñoz clarified that, to be recognized as such, a strike must arise from a labor or economic dispute filed with the Ministry of Trade and Industry through a list of demands or complaints. “It is not the ministry that legalizes or denies a strike,” he clarified, indicating that there is currently no formal dispute underway that would justify the strike, which affects various sectors of the country.
The minister explained that the current impact is affecting several construction companies and other sectors, whose workers have been pressured to walk off the job. “Union buses have arrived to evacuate the workers,” she said. Some employees, she said, chose to go home to avoid confrontations, fearing for their safety and job security.
The minister explained that the current impact is affecting several construction companies and other sectors, whose workers have been pressured to walk off the job. “Union buses have arrived to evacuate the workers,” she said. Some employees, she said, chose to go home to avoid confrontations, fearing for their safety and job security.
This situation, Muñoz warned, puts jobs at risk, since absence without just cause constitutes a breach of contract. Companies, he recalled, are authorized to apply salary deductions or even carry out justified dismissals for failure to comply with labor obligations.
Asked about construction projects, Muñoz indicated that, while they are not completely closed, there is a decrease in worker participation. Some projects are operating normally, while others are facing disruptions due to union intervention. “This is the report we have so far,” she explained.
The minister emphasized that the procedures for calling a strike are clearly defined in the Labor Code and involve mediation. In this case, she insisted, these steps were not followed, which makes the mobilizations actions outside the legal framework and directly affects the economic recovery the country is beginning to experience after difficult years.
The National Council of Private Enterprise ( Conep ) warned this Monday, April 28, that each day of work stoppage, called by different guilds and unions, causes economic damage of up to 100 million dollars .
During a press conference, Conep rejected the strike called by the Single Union of Construction and Related Workers (Suntracs) and the Panamanian Teachers Association (Asoprof) . It also called for a national dialogue, conditional on the suspension of the strike measures.
“We cannot tolerate any more street closures or closed schools. We cannot accept that a few condemn our young people to a life without opportunities,” said Gabriel Diez, president of Conep.
Both Suntracs and Asoprof are maintaining the strike, demanding the repeal of Law 462, which reformed the Social Security Fund (CSS), while rejecting the national government’s actions regarding its handling of relations with the United States.
Diez expressed his opposition to the work stoppage, arguing that Law 462 does not affect teachers or banana plantation workers, and therefore called for dialogue to abandon the measure.
At the same time, he noted that Suntracs’ requests during the CSS negotiations were met, such as not raising the retirement age.
On the other hand, Alejandro Ferrer, president of the Panamanian Chamber of Construction (CAPAC), noted that a percentage of projects have not been halted. However, he noted that there was a significant stoppage of work on the construction of Line 3 of the Panama Metro.
“Tens of millions of dollars a day are lost due to a strike, affecting the construction industry, its suppliers, and various companies,” Ferrer told this outlet.
Bernardo Meneses is said to have received funds from at least 82 people who received substantial financial aid while he was in charge of the Institute for the Training and Utilization of Human Resources (Ifarhu) .
Among that group of beneficiaries are officials from the National Assembly (AN) , where Meneses worked before being appointed director of Ifarhu in July 2019. Also included are members and individuals linked to the Democratic Revolutionary Party (PRD) , a group in which Meneses is a member; in fact, he resigned from Ifarhu on February 28, 2023, to run for deputy in the PRD’s 13-1 circuit, an election he ultimately lost.
In the Assembly, Meneses worked as an international relations analyst. He currently works as a “special professional 1” at the Faculty of Public Administration at the University of Panama , earning a monthly salary of $620.10.
The Press learned that the Public Ministry (MP) has information indicating that, between 2021 and 2024, a little more than $400,000 was deposited into three bank accounts linked to Meneses, but almost 70% of those funds (about $277,000) have not been reasonably justified.
These funds, whose origin is uncertain, were allegedly collected in cash, automatic bank transfers, and Yappy. The transactions were noted at the time by the banks themselves, given that they did not match the former official’s profile. In fact, there is evidence that, in 2023, shortly after his departure from office, the MP obtained reports that already revealed irregularities in the accounts in Meneses’s name.
While he was head of IFARHU, Meneses systematically refused to reveal the beneficiaries of the non-reimbursable financial aid that was distributed at his discretion and without evaluating indicators such as academic average, socioeconomic status, or social risk status.
To hide this information, he signed a resolution invoking Law 81 of 2019 on the protection of personal data. The National Authority for Transparency and Access to Information (ANTAI) , the governing body in this matter, asked Ifarhu up to four times to remove the restrictions and disclose the names of the beneficiaries of all of the institution’s loan programs, but this plea was ignored, first by Meneses and then by Ileana Molo , who replaced him in the position after his resignation at the end of February 2023.
Antai wasn’t the only one. Rigoberto González , who was the Public Prosecutor until December 31, 2024, inspected Ifarhu. There, the officials themselves revealed that there were no regulations for allocating aid; no accountability, no reimbursements, and no notices of calls for applications so anyone could apply. Everything was managed according to the general directorate’s criteria. González requested corrective measures and the issuance of regulations. And it happened to him like Antai: they ignored him.
The United States Ambassador-designate to Panama, Kevin Marino Cabrera, arrived in the country on Monday, April 28, at a time marked by growing trade tensions between the two governments.
Their arrival comes as President Donald Trump is demanding free transit of U.S. commercial vessels through the Panama Canal.
Since the signing of the Treaty Relating to the Permanent Neutrality and Operation of the Panama Canal , access to the Canal is guaranteed to vessels of all nations, in times of peace and war, without discrimination. However, all vessels must comply with the tariffs established by the Panama Canal Authority (PCA).
Upon his arrival, Cabrera was greeted at Tocumen International Airport by the Director of Protocol of the Panamanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Francisco Torres.
The U.S. Embassy has announced that he will be heading to the Panamanian Foreign Ministry in the coming days to present copies of his credentials to Foreign Minister Javier Martínez-Acha. He will then participate in the formal presentation ceremony to the President of the Republic of Panama, José Raúl Mulino.
“I’m pleased to arrive in Panama to carry out my duties… The relationship between the United States and Panama is of the utmost importance; it’s based on shared values and interests and encompasses a wide range of issues. Our relationship is vital to ensuring stability and prosperity throughout the continent ,” Cabrera said.
Kevin Marino Cabrera was ratified by the U.S. Senate as ambassador to Panama on April 9, 2025. He has served as the county commissioner of Miami-Dade County, Florida, since 2022.