Confederación General del Trabajo

(CGT)

   / General Labor Confederation

   The principal labor confederation in Argentina. Founded in 1930, the CGT was originally under the control of leftists but was absorbed into the Peronist movement during the administration of Juan Perón (1946–1955). The succeeding military government, as part of its anti-Peronist efforts, took control of the CGT (intervención). Nevertheless, in 1957 the CGT split into two factions. Sixty-two unions declared loyalty to Perón; 32 would be led by leftists or independents. Although the exact number would vary, the Peronist faction became known as the “62 organizations.” In 1968 the CGT split again, this time into two separate organizations. A radical group broke away to form the CGT de los Argentinos (CGTA, CGT of the Argentines). The CGTA opposed the efforts of Augusto Vandor to reach an agreement with the military government of Juan Carlos Onganía. Vandor, who had hoped to establish “Peronism without Perón,” was assassinated the following year. The CGTA was banned and its leaders jailed. In 1970 the two organizations reunited, but the CGT, like the Peronist movement itself, remained deeply divided.