Panama Labor Ministry Seizes Serviestiba Receivables as Port Operator Exits Balboa and Cristóbal
Panama's Ministry of Labor and Labor Development (Mitradel) on October 13 ordered the seizure of accounts receivable of port services company Serviestiba, S.A., to protect the wages and accrued benefits of the company's 1,386 employees. Serviestiba had notified the Panama Maritime Authority last Friday that it will stop providing services at the ports of Balboa and Cristóbal as of this Friday.
Labor Minister Jackeline Muñoz, speaking during a visit to the port of Cristóbal in Colón province, said the company has not explained how it will guarantee payment of workers'benefits, which prompted the seizure. She said the measure was executed by the ministry on its own authority, not at the request of union organizations, and that the company has guaranteed the current pay period's wages will be paid on Wednesday, with pay continuing during the transition. Muñoz added that authorities are in talks with the two new port operators so workers can keep their jobs and join the new companies, although formal hiring requires completing the necessary procedures. Operations at both ports continue normally.
Serviestiba's exit is linked to a Supreme Court ruling last February that declared the contract law of Panama Ports Company unconstitutional, after which operations at the two terminals moved into temporary arrangements overseen by the authorities. Serviestiba had said after the ruling that it would keep operating, before reversing course last week. Muñoz said workers have acted responsibly amid the uncertainty and remain willing to support port operations while defending their labor rights.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 科隆集装箱港（资料图）。图片来源：Wikimedia Commons，Roger W from Sarasota, Florida, U.S.A. 摄，CC BY-SA 2.0 授权
