Some consensus in Law 30 roundtable discussions
The roundtable group installed created to revisit Panama’s controversial Law 30 will allow for the discussion of all issues that have arisen under the Act, and will not permit the implementation of parallel committees.
This was agreed on, Monday, Aug. 16, in the third round of meetings since the beginning of this dialogue.
The previous two meetings were tense and polarized because of positions staked out by union members and government officials alike. During the second session, last Tuesday, there were advances in planning the methodology of the consultations.
In the meantime, the country/s vice president. Juan Carlos Varela has announced that the government will cancel it’s propaganda campaign in favor of the original law, in the face of strong criticism from church and civil rights groups. Unions too joined in the condemnation.
This roundtable was created as part of the agreement signed between the Government and union workers of the Bocas Fruit Company, on July 11 and ending violent protests against the Law 30