Overview

• Chiquita has terminated approximately 4,900 non-permanent workers in Panama after nearly a month-long strike disrupted operations and caused significant financial losses.
• The company has attributed at least $75 million in losses to the strike and has permanently closed two plantations in Bocas del Toro due to irreversible damage and unmanageable harvest losses.
• The strike began on April 24, with banana workers protesting pension reform and a new U.S.–Panama security agreement, joining forces with teachers, indigenous groups, and construction workers.
• Nationwide protests, including roadblocks and school closures, have disrupted transport, education, and fuel supplies, while the government has criticized union leaders for their perceived intransigence.
• Panama's President José Raúl Mulino warned that up to 7,000 jobs could be at risk if the strike continues, as tensions over labor rights and U.S. influence in the region escalate.