Following peaceful protests by IUF affiliates as well as the threat of strike action against outsourcing at the Cervecería Nacional, a subsidiary of AB InBev in Panama, an agreement was reached that secures full respect for the collective bargaining agreement.
- On February 23, just a few days before going on strike, STICP (Union of the Brewery Industry Workers of Panama) and Sitrafcorebgascelis (Union of Workers of Manufacturing and Commercialization of soft drinks, beer, and spirits) reached an agreement with Cervecería Nacional
- The agreement reverses company measures that threatened to increase the use of precarious work and violate the rights and benefits guaranteed by the collective agreement
- IUF affiliates secured a substantial reduction in the use of outsourced trucks to be used only when sales volumes go beyond the capacity of the company’s own vehicles
Education Secretary of Sitrafcorebgascelis, Jonathan Vélez said, “We achieved this agreement through the unity and discipline of our members who mobilized peaceful, round-the-clock actions at the national level. The support we received from our national center Fuclat and the IUF was also key. AB InBev will continue its attacks aimed at making the workforce more precarious and maximizing its profits; the fight against outsourcing is a permanent fight.”