The banana giant Chiquita has fired thousands of its workers in Panama as a result of their participation in a national strike against changes in the country's social insurance system, the company reports.
José Raúl Mulino, the country's president, claimed on Thursday that the strike, in which approximately 5,000 people are participating, is illegal.
According to Chiquita, the company has lost 75 million dollars due to the strike. The trade union organizing the workers has not commented on the mass dismissals.
