Deputies of the Health and Labor Commission assessed over 300 proposals by representatives of different unions in the plenary session, and traveled to the provinces of Bocas del Toro, Chiriquí and Veraguas, a tour they later extended to Darién, in the east, to gather more views on the Government-sponsored bill.
President of the independent Vamos Party, Janine Prado, insisted that they need more time to debate the bill, and recalled she had previously notified President of the Republic, José Raúl Mulino, on her party’s stance regarding the proposal, which the Executive presented in November, hoping to have passed during the extraordinary sessions to close on December 31.
“It is important to understand that the country did need to take the reins on the issue of the Social Security Fund, but with no rush. There would be all-out opposition to the project if it were approved overnight,” she stressed.
Prado suggested the discussion be deferred till January 2025 and even declaring permanent sessions.
For their part, members of the various organizations that make up the alliance United People for Life marched to the Legislative to reiterate their repudiation of Law 163.
In statements to Prensa Latina, the general secretary of the National Confederation of Independent Trade Union Unity (Conusi), Marco Andrade, commented they are seeking the bill’s withdrawal.
That law, he said, is not a solution to the needs of workers and their families, as it promotes privatization of individual accounts that would only provide inadequate pensions.
Andrade referred to statements made by Mulino in his usual weekly press conference, in which the President made it clear that the responsibility has been transferred to parliament to adopt a Solomonic decision when time runs out.
Mulino told the media that the life of the people and the economic future of the country are in the hands of the Assembly. “That is where the pressure is aimed at, not at me,” he stressed.
The president also indicated that although he could accept modifications to Bill 163, he has not yet heard of any amendments running counter to the numbers proposed by the Executive’s document, something trade unions deny.
On this matter, the general secretary of the Association of Teachers of Panama, Fernando Ábrego, criticized the official stance and condemned the intention to raise the retirement age.
He also denounced that the bill grants the current director of the CSS, businessman Dino Mon, powers that allow him to manage the funds of the insured with the clear intention of handing them over to private international and local companies, which are late in their payments or evade taxes to keep for themselves the money of the workers and retirees.
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