Panamanian Teachers Go on Strike to Demand the Repeal of the Social Security Law
A protest in Panama. Photo: EFE
April 3, 2025 Hour: 9:53 am
The Law 462 raises the retirement age required to access decent pensions.
On Thursday, the Teachers’ Action Front called for a 48-hour nationwide strike in Panama demanding the repeal of Law 462 on the Social Security Fund, which negatively impacts workers and their families.
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Fernando Abrego, the secretary of the Association of Teachers of Panama (ASOPROF), specified that the strike opposes the government’s initiative, which, according to him, establishes the privatization of social security services for retirees and the misappropriation of its resources to benefit banks.
The Law 462, as explained by the ASOPROF leader, who is also a spokesperson for the Peoples United for Life alliance, raises the retirement age required to access decent pensions, considering the high cost of living.
Abrego urged parents not to send their children to school on Thursday and Friday but instead to attend workshops and seminars that will be held to inform them about the harm the initiative poses to current and future generations of workers, including students.
The imposition of individual accounts, which contradicts the solidarity-based benefit accounts, is another aspect of the law that threatens the working class’s quality of life. Through legal representatives, the popular movement has filed a partial unconstitutionality lawsuit against the newly enacted Law 462 with the Supreme Court of Justice.
The union leader also denounced the upcoming eviction of residents in the Rio Indio territory, where the government plans to build a reservoir to support operations at the Panama Canal—without the consent of indigenous communities and farmers.
Other organizations, such as the National Union of Workers in the Construction and Similar Industries (SUNTRACS), have indicated that they will support the teachers’ strike through their own actions, including rallies and road blockades.
Despite this, Education Minister Lucy Molinar stated that classes must continue as usual across Panama’s 16 school districts and that teachers who fail to report to work will not receive their salaries.
teleSUR/ JF
Source: PL
