ILC114 - EU Statement - Committee on Application of Standards - Panama C.87

International Labour Conference

114th Session

Geneva, 8 June 2026

Committee on the Application of Standards

Panama

Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention, 

1948 (No. 87)

Thank you, Chair. 

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union and its Member States.

The candidate countries North Macedonia, Montenegro, Albania, Ukraine and Republic of Moldova  as well as the EFTA country Norway, member of the European Economic Area, align themselves with this statement.

The EU and its Member States are committed to the respect, protection and fulfilment of human rights, including labour rights. We promote universal ratification and effective implementation of fundamental ILO Conventions and support the ILO supervisory system in its crucial role of promoting and supervising the application of ratified standards.

We recall that Panama has ratified the Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention, 1948 (No. 87). We express our serious concern with the latest observation of the Committee of Experts concerning the application of this fundamental Convention.

We note the allegations referred to by the Committee concerning serious violations of the rights of SUNTRACS and its leaders. We also note that these matters are being examined by the Committee on Freedom of Association.

We further note with concern the allegations of persecution and criminalisation of trade unionism in Panama, including reports that protests held between April and July 2025 were met with excessive use of force and arbitrary arrests. We recall, in line with the Committee, that the peaceful exercise of trade union rights should not give rise to arrests or imprisonment, and that police intervention must be proportionate to the threat to public order.

We regret the lack of progress in reactivating the tripartite committees established under the Panama tripartite agreement of 2012. We urge the Government, in consultation with the social partners and with ILO technical support, to take the necessary steps to reactivate these committees in the near future and to seek a prompt solution regarding the representativeness of the trade union organisations concerned.

We also note the absence of progress in establishing the Higher Labour Council. We call on the Government to strengthen and institutionalise tripartite social dialogue and to take measures, in consultation with the social partners, to overcome the obstacles encountered in the adoption of the relevant Bill.

We take note of the additional written information submitted by the Government, including references to collective agreements registered, labour inspections carried out, dialogue with teachers’ organisations, and Executive Decree No. 11 of November 2025 on essential public services. We encourage the Government to ensure that these measures respond effectively to the concerns raised by the Committee and are implemented in full conformity with Convention No. 87.

We are concerned that a number of legislative provisions continue to raise issues of conformity with Convention No. 87. These include restrictions on the establishment of workers’ organisations in public institutions, excessive membership requirements for the establishment of employers’ and workers’ organisations, and the denial to certain categories of public servants of the right to establish unions.

We further note the Committee’s concerns regarding restrictions on the right of organisations to elect their representatives in full freedom, including the nationality requirement to serve on the executive board of a trade union, as well as provisions interfering with the activities of workers’ and employers’ organisations.

We regret that long-standing restrictions on the right to strike remain unresolved, including the prohibition on federations and confederations calling strikes, restrictions on strikes concerning government economic and social policies, automatic police intervention in strikes, compulsory arbitration in certain transport disputes, and excessive minimum service requirements in the transport sector.

We urge the Government of Panama to take concrete and immediate measures, in genuine consultation with the social partners, to bring law and practice into full conformity with Convention No. 87. We call on the Government to cooperate fully with the ILO supervisory bodies, provide detailed information on all measures taken, and avail itself of ILO technical assistance.

The EU and its Member States will continue to follow the situation closely and remain committed to supporting the effective application of fundamental labour standards.

Thank you, Chair.

1. ^  North Macedonia, Montenegro and Albania continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.