national

Fifth day of strikes ends without deal

The social security workers’ strike persists in the Panama, Colón and Veraguas provinces.

Noriel Gutiérrez/LA PRENSA

human ROADBLOCK: Traffic was congested once again yesterday in the capital as protests by social security workers continued.1145105

Blocked roads, tear gas, a patient injured while waiting to be attended; these were only some of the side effects of yesterday's protests, which marked day 4 of the social security workers strike in demand of better wages.

Clashes yesterday between riot units of the national police and the social security workers union (ANFACSS) of the Sabanitas polyclinic in the province of Colón resulted in one person wounded and four others arrested.

Disgruntled AMFACSS workers had blocked the Transístmica highway in protest at approximately 7:00 am. When riot police arrived to unblock it, some protesters threw stones.

Amid the unrest, three members of the national police were dispatched to the polyclinic and arrested two workers - Carmen Niño and Judith Changai, as well as two patients waiting to be attended. Valeria Henry, another employee, suffered a blow to the head with a bottle, and was taken to the emergency room. The road was reopened at 9:00 a.m. Fellow social security workers in Santiago de Veraguas also took to the streets in protest, blocking off the Pan-American Highway. Ten minutes later, however, the riot police arrived and began spraying tear gas. Miriam Balsa, spokesperson for the protesters, described the action as disrespectful, stating that she believed they were fighting a fair fight. In Panama City, meanwhile, protesters closed off the Transístmica road near the Metropolitan Hospital.

Rubén Darío López, director of the medical services department of the social security system, said yesterday that due to the strike - which now celebrates its fifth day, there has been an unsanitary accumulation of garbage in several polyclinics and health care centers, which could result in an epidemic. Day 5 of the strike be today with worker sand administrators yet to reach an agreement since last Wednesday's negotiations.

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