Panama Canal expansion workers arrested

Thirty striking workers who were working on the expansion of the Panama Canal have been arrested following clashes with the the National Police.

The workers, were taken to the police headquarters in Colón, says the construction workers union leader, Eustaquio Méndez.
The leader said he was coordinating with the union's lawyers to try to free the detained workers, who clashed with riot police on Monday  along the stretch between Puerto Escondido and Cuatro Altos.

The clash occurred because the workers rejected the detention of two members of SUNTRACS on Monday morning who were en route to the Gatún Locks to support colleagues who were on strike.

The workers of the consortium Grupos Unidos por el Canal, which won a contract to for the expansion of the Panama Canal, went on on strike on the weekend to protest working conditions poor salaries and lack of necessary equipment to do their jobs.

The strike began only days after Italian Prime Minister   Silvio Berlusconi visited the site. Part of the consortium is an Italian company said to have financial problems.

Source: News Room Panama