Protests in Panama

President rages against union: Should keep a low profile

Panama's President Jose Raul Mulino rages against union bosses' threat to sue banana giant Chiquita, Reuters reports.

After a nationwide strike last spring, Chiquita decided to lay off its 6,000 employees and leave the country. Because of this, the head of the banana workers' union, Francisco Smith, wants to sue them. But Mulino, who has consistently backed Chiquita, now warns Smith that he "should keep a low profile."

- It's not the best thing for him to run around shouting crazy things. He is being charged with a crime, says Mulino.

He also accuses Smith and his "lackies" of being the reason Chiquita left Panama. Mulino has called the strike illegal and Smith has been charged with crimes related to the strike.

Threatening to sue banana giant after strikes

The head of Panama's banana workers' union Sitrabana, Francisco Smith, is threatening to sue banana giant Chiquita, Reuters reports. The reason is that the company fired 6,000 employees and left the country in June.

After a new pension reform came into effect in April, a national workers' strike began that turned violent and particularly affected the country's banana industry. Chiquita estimates that they lost $75 million during the strike and quickly decided to lay off their entire workforce and eventually leave Panama.

Now Francisco Smith is looking for different ways to sue the company, but most of all he hopes that they will re-establish their operations in Bocas del Toro.

- If they don't do that, we insist that they pay what they have to according to labor law, he tells Reuters.