PANAMA CANAL
PANAMA: The International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) has alleged that the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) is breaching the country's commitments to global labour principles.
In a statement on 24 November, ITF general secretary Steve Cotton claimed that the ACP's attempt to close down tugboat captains union UCOC is "a classic case of union busting and a fundamental violation of the International Labour Organisation [ILO] principles of freedom of association, which the Panamanian government rightly adopted".
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According to ITF president Paddy Crumlin, the ACP is "currently seeking to appeal against a Labour Relations board decision and, in doing so, seeking de-recognition and invalidation of UCOC. The ACP's petition calls for the Supreme Court to immediately suspend, as a precautionary measure, the recognition of the union pending its final decision and to seize and freeze the union's assets."
IHS Maritime asked ACP for comment on the ITF allegations. In response, ACP told IHS Maritime: "The ACP, in compliance with the Panamanian constitutional mandate to abide and to ensure that the law is duly abided with, has submitted before the Contentious-Administrative Chamber of the Supreme Court the impugnment of a decision of the Panama Canal Authority Board of Labour Relations that openly infringes, in violation of the law, the Supreme Court decision of August 26 2008, which is final, definitive and obligatory."
In general, the relationship between the ITF and the ACP has become increasingly hostile in 2014. The ITF and four other Panamanian unions, including UCOC, submitted a formal ILO complaint against the ACP in August. In recent months, the ITF has also publicly questioned ACP's safety and training commitments, accusations the ACP has denied.