This Monday, July 1st, will be a long weekend in Panama due to the inauguration of President-elect José Raúl Mulino.  Many dignitaries will be in attendance Monday July 1st in Panama. The Political Constitution of the Republic of Panama, in its article 181, establishes that the President and Vice President of the Republic of Panama shall take office before the National Assembly on the first day of July following their election. This year, July 1, 2024, is a Monday.  The Labor Code, in its article 46, states that the day the elected President of the Republic takes office is a mandatory holiday due to a national celebration.

The President of Colombia Gustavo Petro will attend the festivities.  King Felipe VI of Spain will attend the inauguration.  The prime ministers of Belize and Aruba confirmed their attendance.  According to Mulino, the Salvadoran president Nayib Bukele had told him that he would come to Panama. The Foreign Ministry reported that the leaders of Ecuador, the Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Honduras and Paraguay had confirmed their presence. The Vice President of Guatemala, Karin Herrera, announced that she will attend the inauguration of the president-elect, José Raúl Mulino. Korea’s Land Minister Park Sang-woo and Hong Soo-hwan, who claimed the World Boxing Association (WBA) super bantamweight champion title in Panama City in 1977, will attend the ceremony on July 1 as special envoys of the president.  A US presidential delegation will attend the inauguration of His Excellency José Raúl Mulino on July 1, 2024, in Panama City, Panama. The Honorable Alejandro N. Mayorkas, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, will lead the delegation. Members of the Presidential Delegation include:  The Honorable Mari Carmen Aponte, U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Panama.  The Honorable Carlos Del Toro, Secretary of the United States Navy.  The Honorable Julieta Valls Noyes, Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration, U.S. Department of State. The Honorable Marcela Escobari, Coordinator for the Los Angeles Declaration on Migration and Protection & Special Assistant to the President.

Important matters employers should know for July 1 2024.  It is a mandatory rest day paid by the employer, whose payment is included in the monthly salary received from the employer.  In the event that an employee works on this day, the surcharges established in the Labor Code in article 49 will apply, which are as follows:

• 150% surcharge on the salary: Employees who work on Monday, July 1, 2024, must be paid a 150% surcharge on the ordinary workday salary, without prejudice to the worker’s right to be granted another rest day as compensation during the week. The 150% surcharge includes remuneration for the rest day.
• Compensatory rest day: Employees who work on this day must be granted a compensatory rest day during the week for having worked on the national holiday. However, when the employee works on the day that should be given as compensatory, they must be remunerated with a 50% surcharge on an ordinary workday.