Yesterday, the Government announced the termination of the banana industry in the district of Bar in the Chiriqu province. The announcement closes an important chapter in the republican history.
Part of the nationalist struggle of the country was registered in the banana plantations, when they were administrated by the U.S. multinational Chiquita Brands; in them, thousands of Panamanians found prosperity for several decades and more recently, they were an example of how an industry can crumble because of extremist union positions.
The lack of interest of private companies for reviving activity in the plantations is largely due to fears they have for the revival of the extreme unionism.
People of Bar should learn from this bitter experience and take advantage of the interest shown by some international private companies to undertake other activities in these lands. Demanding rights is not bad, but it is dangerous when the union leadership has an agenda parallel to the true interests of their members.
Part of the nationalist struggle of the country was registered in the banana plantations, when they were administrated by the U.S. multinational Chiquita Brands; in them, thousands of Panamanians found prosperity for several decades and more recently, they were an example of how an industry can crumble because of extremist union positions.
The lack of interest of private companies for reviving activity in the plantations is largely due to fears they have for the revival of the extreme unionism.
People of Bar should learn from this bitter experience and take advantage of the interest shown by some international private companies to undertake other activities in these lands. Demanding rights is not bad, but it is dangerous when the union leadership has an agenda parallel to the true interests of their members.
