By Lena Souza
Workers, youth, and popular and indigenous groups in Panama are spearheading an escalating wave of social protests in response to reforms proposed by José Raúl Mulino’s government. Roadblocks, demonstrations, and strikes are increasing throughout the country, centered on defeating Law 462, which reforms social security.
The demands also include rejecting the Panamanian government’s agreements with the United States regarding the Panama Canal and the surrender of the country’s sovereignty. Additionally, they oppose the proposal to reopen the copper mine in Donoso-Colón, which closed after large demonstrations in 2023.
Protests against the pension reform, which had been ongoing for several months, became more radical after February 12, 2025. On that date, thousands of Panamanians took to the streets to protest the government’s proposed changes to the pension system. They were violently suppressed after workers, led by Suntracs (the Union of Construction and Related Industry Workers), blocked one of the capital’s main avenues. Police used tear gas on protesters and arrested around 500 people, leaving at least 16 injured. May 1 also saw widespread mobilization, with protests in several cities across the country. Currently, construction, teaching, and banana workers, who have been protesting since April, have been joined by health professionals and popular and indigenous movements in forming a front of resistance to current government policies [3].
Government repression has not intimidated the resistance
Since April 23, teachers have been on an indefinite strike against pension reform. The Panamanian Teachers’ Association (Asoprof) denounces Law 462 for compromising the right to retirement and deepening the precariousness of education.
Despite the salary cuts announced by the Ministry of Education on May 12, the movement remains strong. “We will continue despite the intimidation,” said Fernando Ábrego, leader of Asoprof. Construction workers, who have been on strike since the beginning of the year, have also denounced a government campaign of criminalization, which includes freezing their accounts and imprisoning their members.
At a meeting of the sectors involved in the struggle on Sunday, May 11, the union’s secretary general called on workers to remain united, firm, and disciplined until Law 462 is repealed. Banana workers organized in Sitraibana (the Union of Workers in the Banana Industry, Agricultural Companies, and Similar Industries) have also been on strike for three weeks in the province of Bocas del Toro.
Nurses from the National Association of Nurses of Panama (ANEP) announced a gradual strike starting May 19. Indigenous peoples, through the National Coordinating Committee, announced their support for the national strike beginning May 12. In addition to the strikes, activists in several provinces, including Veraguas, Chiriquí, and Bocas del Toro, have maintained permanent blockades, demonstrating the strength of the mobilization.
All of these groups are showing their rejection of the government’s measures and their support for workers and students, who have organized marches and demonstrations to express their opposition to Law 462 and demand its repeal.
Pension reform is an attack on rights
Passed in March 2025, Law 462 is seen as a gift to financial capital. It raises the retirement age and paves the way for the privatization of social security. Estimates indicate that pensions could be reduced by up to 30%. All of this was accomplished through a rushed and undemocratic legislative process.
Organizations fighting against the law argue that it “masks” the increase in the retirement age and undermines social security by implementing an individual account model. They demand the repeal of the law and a return to a system based on solidarity and defined benefits.
Submission to imperialism and environmental plunder
The neoliberal offensive of the Mulino government is also evident in its desire to reopen the Cobre Panamá mine, which is operated by the Canadian company First Quantum Minerals. This desire is evident even after the large demonstrations in 2023 that forced the Supreme Court to close the mine and revoke the contract. Resuming the project would be a direct attack on the environment and the rights of communities.
This is also a struggle for the country’s sovereignty. In April 2025, Mulino signed a memorandum of understanding with the United States granting U.S. troops access to Panamanian air and naval facilities. This reignites the debate on Panamanian sovereignty over the Canal and the role of imperialism in the region. This topic is explored in Alejandro Iturbe’s article “The U.S. wants to regain its ‘backyard.'”
Who is José Raúl Mulino?
Mulino took office as president of Panama on July 1, 2024, after winning the election and replacing Ricardo Martinelli, who was disqualified from running due to corruption convictions. To understand Mulino, it is important to know Martinelli’s history of corruption.
Martinelli was Panama’s president from 2009 to 2014 and has a long history of accusations and prosecutions for corruption and abuse of power. After the Supreme Court of Panama issued an arrest warrant for Martinelli in 2015, accusing him of illegal espionage and embezzlement of public funds, he fled to the United States. He was arrested there in 2017 and spent a year in prison before being extradited to Panama in June 2018 to face the charges.
In August 2019, Martinelli was acquitted of espionage and embezzlement charges related to the “Pinchazos” case, resulting in his release from house arrest.
In July 2023, he was sentenced to 10 years and 8 months in prison and fined $19 million for money laundering in the “New Business” case. After the Panamanian Supreme Court upheld the sentence in February 2024, Martinelli sought asylum at the Nicaraguan embassy in Panama City, alleging political persecution. At the time of writing, Colombia has granted Martinelli political asylum, and the Panamanian government has authorized his transfer to Bogotá.
Mulino, the newly elected president, has a history of repressing popular protests, including violent actions against strikes and demonstrations, during his tenure as security minister in Martinelli’s government.
Despite the corruption scandals involving Martinelli, Mulino’s election is an expression of the capitalist economic crisis. It highlights the distortion represented by bourgeois democracy, which ideologically manipulates workers and the poor, making them believe they are making decisions while keeping the representatives of the rich in power.
Mulino’s election demonstrates the continuity of authoritarian and repressive policies against social and union movements, consolidating a government aligned with the interests of economic elites and imperialism.
This situation reinforces the need to build a socialist alternative representing the interests of the working class and confronting the power structures established by the capitalist system.
Support the Panamanian struggle!
The rebellion in Panama is not only against a law but also against a system that commodifies social rights, hands over national sovereignty to imperialism, and represses those who fight back. The working class, youth, and people of Panama are setting an example of courage, unity, and willingness to fight.
We call on all working-class organizations and the international left to express solidarity with the struggle in Panama. It should serve as an inspiration for all of Latin America.
Sources:
[1] Follow the example of the struggle in Panama — International Workers League.
[3] Popular sectors in Panama to continue strike against insurance law — Prensa Latina News
[4] Popular sectors in Panama to continue strike against insurance law — Prensa Latina News
[5] “The United States Wants to Regain Its ‘Backyard'” — International Workers League
[6] Former Panamanian president convicted of corruption granted asylum in Colombia
[7] Colombia Grants Political Asylum to Former Panamanian President Ricardo Martinelli
