Colón Mayor Seeks Supreme Court Intervention to Reinstate Municipal Operations Manual

The mayor of Colón, Panama, Diógenes Galván, is anxiously awaiting a Supreme Court decision to suspend an agreement that abolished the municipality's operational manual. Galván expressed his hope that the court would act swiftly, ideally within the week, to overturn what he described as an "outrageous agreement."

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I have faith that this will be repealed or the Court will order a suspension soon, hopefully this week, for this outrageous agreement.

The repeal of the manual has left the municipal salary structure without a foundation, complicating the process of submitting payroll to the General Comptroller's Office. This situation directly impacts at least 350 municipal employees, as the administration cannot process payroll without a validated salary base. "This fortnight we have to send the payroll to the Comptroller's Office for validation, and we cannot send it because there is no salary base, and the Comptroller's Office will not validate it," Galván stated.

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This fortnight we have to send the payroll to the Comptroller's Office for validation, and we cannot send it because there is no salary base, and the Comptroller's Office will not validate it.

While the administration explores legal avenues to reassign personnel and mitigate the impact, the exact number of affected employees remains unclear. The agreement has not only disrupted payroll but also cast doubt on the entire administrative structure of the Mayor's Office, including Galván's own position. "Even my position is within the municipality's operational manual; it's an uncertainty," he noted.

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Even my position is within the municipality's operational manual; it's an uncertainty.

Some council members, however, have defended the repeal, suggesting it aims to eliminate at least eight managerial positions with salaries exceeding $2,000 per month. Carlos Lima, a representative from Buena Vista, argued that the municipality faces budget constraints and that high managerial salaries are an "abuse" when resources are scarce. He called for shared austerity, noting that local community boards have had their budgets reduced.

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It is an abuse that each manager earns $2,500 and it is said that there are no resources. It is time for all of us to contain expenses. We in the community boards have reduced our budget, and it is not fair that we remain without personnel while such salaries are paid in the Mayor's Office.