The Panama Government is Negotiating Chiquita’s Return amid Demands and Employment Expectations
One of the central points on the negotiation table is for Chiquita to “return” and hire staff in Bocas del Toro.
Panama: The Minister of Commerce and Industry, Julio Moltó, confirmed that the government is in negotiations with the banana company Chiquita Brands to resume operations in Panama, following its departure from the country. The official announced that President José Raúl Mulino will hold a meeting with the company’s owner in Brazil on August 28 as part of his international agenda.
Mulino will seek the company’s return to the country following the closure of several banana plantations in the province of Bocas del Toro due to a widespread workers’ strike, which left some 5,000 Bocas del Toro residents unemployed. The minister’s announcement comes one day after former banana company employees announced irregularities in the severance pay of employees with more than 20 years of service. He also pointed out violations of maternity leave rights, which is why he and his lawyers are filing several lawsuits against the company.
The Chiquita Company left Panama; On the president’s instructions, we are negotiating, sitting around the table, and we see it as very positive. We have been talking with the company for weeks about how we can get it to return to Panama and come back. What we most want is for it to resume hiring, maintain the farm, and for us to continue to have that product, which was our main export.”
Julio Moltó – Minister of Commerce and Industry
