PANAMA CITY, June 12, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Panamanian workers for US banana giant Chiquita Brands agreed Wednesday to end their protests and roadblocks after a breakthrough in a pension dispute that led to thousands of layoffs.

Chiquita employees in the Caribbean province of Bocas del Toro went on strike on April 28 because of pension reforms, prompting the company to announce it was dismissing more than 6,500 workers.

The unions agreed to immediately end roadblocks and "guarantee free movement" in the region bordering Costa Rica, National Assembly President Dana Castaneda said after two days of negotiations.

Leaders of the Assembly and its legislative blocs pledged to approve a bill, supported by the government of right-wing President Jose Raul Mulino, to restore workers' pension benefits.

Mulino has faced weeks of protests against pension reform and other issues.

Sources linked to the negotiations told AFP that the unions were seeking a deal with Chiquita and the Panamanian government for the workers to get their jobs back.

Under the agreement between unions and legislators, Castaneda will open communication with Chiquita to establish "the current status and future prospects of the company and its workers."

Labor Minister Jackeline Munoz has said that "not a single worker" remains on Chiquita's payroll in Panama.

Union leader Francisco Smith said that workers will remove roadblocks to ensure "peace" in Changuinola, the Bocas del Toro town where the company's operations are located.

The province relies heavily on tourism and production of bananas, which accounted for more than 17 percent of Panamanian exports in the first quarter of 2025, according to the government.

Chiquita estimated two weeks ago that the protests had caused more than $75 million in losses.