The National Lottery of Beneficence (LNB) has decided to reinstate seven social workers who had been unfairly dismissed. The measure was taken after lawyer Marco Austin reported the situation through the media La Verdad Panamá. So far, the National Lottery has not issued an official statement explaining the reasons behind the dismissal of the employees or regarding the case that is still pending resolution.
However, one of the workers is still awaiting reinstatement, indicating that her case remains unresolved. Javier Collins Agnew from La Verdad Panamá commented: "This demonstrates that public denunciation and the fight for labor rights can generate changes."
Marco Austin, the legal representative of the affected workers, had previously pointed out that the National Lottery kept the dismissed employees in a state of legal limbo since January of this year, ignoring their requests to reconsider the decision. The lawyer stated that the Lottery was violating due process, as the reconsideration request should suspend the dismissal according to the law.
According to Austin, the dismissals were carried out arbitrarily and without supporting evidence. This constitutes a serious violation of the labor rights and due process of the workers. The lawyer emphasized that the employees were removed from their positions without clear justification, which aggravated the situation.
Following the pressure generated by the public denunciation in La Verdad Panamá and the increased attention on the case, the National Lottery finally opted to reverse the measure and allow the return of eight of the dismissed workers. Despite this progress, one employee is still to be reinstated, and the affected party continues to demand her reinstatement.
