Cobre Panama called workers for its liquidation

In the morning of this Saturday, December 16, almost 4 thousand workers of the mining project Panamanian copper were invited to carry out their liquidation, as a result of the decision issued by Supreme Court of Justice (CSJ) which declared unconstitutional the legal contract 406 between Minera Panamá SA and the State of Panama.

“This date will be far from celebratory, because they are not invited to a Christmas party or the delivery of prosciutto. They are invited to face the bitter reality of getting their dues,” the leader complained Technological infrastructure of First Quantum Minerals LTD, for the Cobra Panamá project, Mario Romera.

Romera questioned the indifference and general lack of empathy for the situation faced by thousands of workers at the company, which is now facing closure.

“The impact of these dismissals, this human drama just a few days before Christmas and the end of the year, was reacted with general indifference, as if it was foreign or of no importance to the country. And it was not”he showed.

Romero called for empathy for workers, regardless of controversies over state contracts or concerns about the mining industry.

He also highlighted the quality of the workforce that will be laid off and called on the Panamanian business sector to consider these professionals.

“Working in a mining environment involves a number of professional and personal demands that not everyone could cope with, both during the construction phase and during the work of the last four years. However, we all had the precious opportunity to experience first-hand what it means to be part of an international company dedicated to rigorous ethical and professional standards,” he pointed out.

Panamanian copper He covered a wide range of specialties within the continent’s most advanced mining project, from geology to logistics, environmental, biologists, engineers, occupational health specialists, human resources and training, heavy equipment, industrial safety, finance, laboratories, high-tech industrial processes or electricity production, he indicated.

“It is heartbreaking that I have to say goodbye to a large part of this team, some of whom are thinking of emigrating to other countries where I am confident they will be able to develop successful and rewarding careers in line with their worth,” says Romera.

“To the Panamanian business people who have the opportunity to interview these experts, I urge you not to doubt these experts and to contact me for any recommendations. In my 35 years of professional career at the international level, this would be the first time that I would recommend professionals without any reserves, both in terms of technical capacity and in terms of human quality,” he points out in a post via his LinkedIn social network.

After some 37 days of strong mobilization in the streets, on November 27, the Supreme Court of Justice (CSJ) of Panama again declared unconstitutional the contract between the State of Panama and the company Minera Panamá, SA, the latter considered in Law 409.

With this ruling, Law 406 was removed from the regulatory system that governs the country.

It’s December 5th Ministry of Trade and Industry (MICI) sent Minera Panamá SA an order to cease mining, processing, beneficiation, transportation, export and marketing operations, as well as mining activities in general.

In the first week of December, Minera Panamá SA also asked the Ministry of Labor and Labor Development (Mitradel) to terminate the contracts of more than 4,000 workers.