Year: 2020

Panama Ports Company joins companies committed to the principles of women’s empowerment (WEPs)

The Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs) are a set of principles that provide guidance to companies on how to promote gender equality and the empowerment of women in the workplace, marketplace and community.

Established by the United Nations Global Compact and UN Women, WEPs are based on international labor and human rights standards and are based on the recognition that companies have an interest and responsibility in gender equality and the empowerment of women. They are an important vehicle for delivering corporate results in the gender equality dimensions of the 2030 agenda and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

By joining the WEP community, the company expresses a goodwill commitment to the gender agenda at the highest levels of the company and works collaboratively in multi-stakeholder networks to foster business practices that promote equality and empowerment of women. These include equal pay for work of equal value, inclusive supply chain practices, fostering training and opportunities for women, and zero tolerance against sexual harassment in the workplace, among others.

In Panama, The Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs) has been in place for 2 years and this year 8 new members joined this global community that impacts gender ecosystems at the local, regional and regional levels. global, these are: Banco Nacional de Panamá, Cervecería Nacional de Panamá, Franquicias Panameñas, Phillips Panamá, Terpel Panamá Grupo Shahani, Nestlé Panamá, and Panama Ports Company.

With this adhesion, PPC will be a key partner in generating efforts, alliances and, above all, in promoting equality and empowering women in order to generate structural changes in an integral way the organization.

Equality and non-discrimination are fundamental human rights and gender equality is the essential basis for achieving more sustainable development and societies. Women represent the breadwinner of millions of families and communities, so empowering them carries the possibility of them reaching a greater degree of prosperity.

PPC is fully committed to enhancing gender equality not only in its ports, but must also transcend our supply chain, stakeholders and the communities where we live and operate to bring about the changes the world needs today. These efforts should not only be applied in the workplace but also everywhere. We truly believe that the gender equality gap needs to be closed, simply because it’s the right thing to do for everyone and it’s the right thing to do for companies.

Hutchison Ports PPC presents: “Aventuras para Ti” an educational project that seeks through cartoons to communicate in a simple and fun way to the children of our employees the work and stories that their parents do every day at our terminals in Balboa and Cristóbal and the importance and responsibility that each one has in contributing to the progress of the country.

Our second capsule, “Panama, the bridge of the world” takes us on a journey through our history and the importance that Panama’s geographical position has had as a commercial bridge since its inception. Old Panama, Portobelo, the Camino de Cruces and the Camino Real, the construction of the Canal and the origins of the Ports are some of the narrated topics that you can enjoy in this second capsule.

With this project, PPC wants to transmit its acquired values, sharing in an educational, cultural and social way new concepts related to the industry, by means of a simple language and didactic messages for the reader.

Homeland are so many beautiful things

Our great pride is to be Panamanians and that is why we celebrate it by sharing in a very special way with all our collaborators during Panama’s Patriotic Month.

PPC celebrated its patriotic spirit with all its staff from the Balboa and Cristóbal terminals with folkloric presentations, dances and tasting of typical dishes extolling our traditions. With this activity, PPC thanked each collaborator for giving their best to this great country.

Because at Panama Ports Company, the mission of each employee is to make Panama great.

Congratulations and Long Live Panama!

The National Customs Authority and its director, Tayra Barsallo carried out a visit to the facilities of ZAL PPC (The Logistics Activity Zone in Panama Ports Company) where they learned first-hand about the facilities enabled for this new logistics platform and the investment plans that will provide new services that will generate more jobs, more opportunities and economic growth.

ZAL PPC will allow to carry out CROSSDOCKING services, labelling, processing, assembly of kits and much more within the largest port terminal in Latin America. Allowing not only to provide new services to foreign cargo but also to facilitate the export of national products.

“For us it is a pleasure to help with these capacities that today make Panama a better country of connection and logistics at a Latin American and global level” Tayra Barsallo, Director of the National Customs Authority.

“Giving this type of service, in which we are being innovative in doing it together with the General Directorate of Customs, will achieve that more cargo comes to Panama, more employment and more economic movement.” Alejandro Kouruklis, Director of Government Affairs at PPC.

Our environment affects us all …

In a joint action between the Mayor’s Office of Colón, residents of the neighbouring communities, the Bus Terminal, companies that provide services to the Port, PPC Volunteers and members of the company’s Labor Union, Panama Ports Company, carried out the cleaning of The Bolivar Avenue, at the entrance of The Port of Cristobal.

During the activity, tons of garbage and scrap metal were collected, recovering green spaces and areas for the use of the community.

PPC is committed to supporting the communities where it lives and operates. Together, with the support of the community, we can contribute with wellbeing of our environment.

In the 70s the strengthening of the maritime port industry of Panama began with the birth in May 1974 of the National Port Authority (APN). Entity that had as objectives; promote, guide, plan and coordinate the development of the national port system and consequently, formulate and execute the appropriate policies for these purposes; build, improve, expand and maintain ports and port facilities for the fishing industry and exploit and operate port services in addition to controlling and supervising those ports and facilities.

But it is not until the signing of the Torrijos-Carter Treaties in 1977, that the gradual beginning of the transfer to the Republic of Panama of the areas adjacent to the interoceanic highway and the Panama Canal occurs; areas which before the signing of this historic and patriotic treaty were subject to the jurisdiction of the North American power by provision of the Hay-Bunau Varilla Treaty of 1903.

It is then, on October 1, 1979, 41 years ago, following the schedule agreed upon in accordance with the Torrijos-Carter Treaties, that the effective disappearance of US jurisdiction over the Canal Zone begins and the gradual transfer for the next twenty years of the different infrastructures that were within this Zone.

It is from October 1, 1979 when our flag begins to wave proudly at the top of Cerro Ancón, with the Republic of Panama exercising jurisdiction over its entire territory, thus giving it the opportunity to administer the deep-draft seaports of Balboa and Cristóbal under the hands of the recently created National Port Authority.

This is how, on October 1, a group of Port Workers with the understandable problems and difficulties of any process that they are beginning, begin the difficult task of defining the future of these facilities, which until then the ports of Balboa and Cristóbal had only served as support to military installations and which, due to lack of use and maintenance, deteriorated rapidly.

Thanks to the initial effort of our Port Workers, our container cargo logistics-port sector takes a new course, beginning in 1997 with Panama Ports Company, S.A. a stage of continuous growth in the industry, thanks to the constant investment in personnel, infrastructure, training, resources and technology.

Today, thanks to this profound transformation and human effort, the port sector is one of the largest contributors to the country’s economic growth, becoming a fundamental link for the national logistics sector.

All of this would not be possible without the efforts of hundreds of men and women who, day after day, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, wear the Dock Workers t-shirt in order to be an essential part of the engine of the Panamanian port industry.

At PPC we value every merit, we remember every effort and we recognize that the future is in your hands.

Hutchison Ports PPC presents: “Aventuras para Ti” an educational project that seeks through cartoons to communicate in a simple and fun way to the children of our employees the work that their parents do every day at our terminals in Balboa and Cristóbal and the importance and responsibility that each one has in contributing to the progress of the country.

Our first capsule, “Safe and Essential Work” seeks that our employees have the tools that help them teach their children, family and friends in a simple way the importance of the work they do and the measures that are being taken to protect them and keep them safe and healthy, at the same time guaranteeing an efficient and safe operation of cargo transportation during the current situation in Panama and the world.

With this project, PPC wants to transmit its acquired values, sharing in an educational, cultural and social way new concepts related to the industry, by means of simple language and didactic messages for the reader.

At Hutchison Ports PPC, we continue to support the fight against Covid-19 by making a new contribution to the Panama Solidario program, of 6 state-of-the-art electric beds for patients confined in the intensive care room, for a value of more than B /. 200,000, as part of the donation program that has been given.

The delivery ceremony was attended by the Vice Minister of Health, Ivette Berrío, Jared Zerbe, Chief Executive Officer of Hutchison Ports PPC, Alejandro Kouruklis, Director of Government Affairs of Hutchison Ports PPC and directors of the Ministry of Health, where the Minister addressed some important words of thanks for the donation given.

“We have received from Panama Ports, its management and collaborators 6 beds for intensive care units, at a time when we are fighting the battle of Covid-19. Even when the numbers are decreasing, we have an RT that is decreasing, we do not stop preparing for any eventuality, we have to be prepared for any manifestation of regrowth “

At PPC, we are proud to offer our country a helping hand and solidarity. Since the beginning of the Pandemic, we have not stopped being present in the fight, supporting as a team and contributing to those who need it most, showing that together we will succeed.

Hutchison Ports PPC, The Industrial Union of Port Workers of Panama (SINTRAPORSPA) and the Renovated Union of Workers of the Panama Ports Company (SIRETPPOC), signed a collective labour agreement in a single text to both unions.

This important agreement will last 4 years, reaching thousands of collaborators between men and women, from Panama and Colon; addressing issues such as salary increases, group insurance, sports activities and activities for employees’ children among many other benefits; providing a healthy and favourable work environment for dock workers and their families.

The Minister of Labor and Workforce Development, Doris Zapata Acevedo recognized before the company and both unions, the importance of the maritime port industry for the economic development of the country. On the other hand, a stable and peaceful work environment, which respects the Labor Code, is essential for the proper performance of this activity.

The signing parties, represented by Alberto Ochoa of SINTRAPORSPA, Gilberto Gómez, of SIRETPPOC, and Jared Zerbe, CEO of Hutchison Ports PPC, agreed on the importance of strengthening good communications between the parties to promote peace and stability at the ports