Trade Unions

   The history of trade unionism in South America is entwined with the history of communism in the region. In Argentina, the Confederación General del Trabajo (CGT, General Labor Confederation) was under leftist control before becoming the backbone of the Peronist movement during the 1940s. In the late 1950s, the CGT split into two factions—some unions remained loyal to Perón, others came under independent or leftist control. The CGT’s counterparts in Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, and Uruguay were under leftist control. In Chile, for example, the Central Única de Trabajadores (CUT, Unified Workers’ Central) was dominated by the Partido Comunista (PC, Communist Party) and the Partido Socialista (PS, Socialist Party). In Paraguay, the Confederación Paraguaya de Trabajadores (CPT, Paraguayan Workers’ Confederation) was created by the Partido Revolucionario Febrerista (PRF, February Revolutionary Party), which was a heterogeneous group from across the political spectrum, including socialists. Trade unionism, however, had little role in Paraguayan politics—the economy was largely dependent on agriculture and contraband. Socialist aspirations in these countries contributed to the social unrest that provoked military coups. In the repression that followed, trade unionists were often targeted—especially leaders and radical members. Having silenced labor, the military governments proceeded to institute free-market economic policies. Perhaps the best-known example was that of the “shock treatment” administered to the economy by the Chicago Boys in Chile. By the late 1970s and early 1980s, however, unions began to recover, working with international organizations, human-rights groups, and political parties to create pressure for a return to democracy. In Bolivia, it was a general strike that ousted the military ahead of schedule. Yet labor was by no means homogeneous, and some unionists chose to negotiate with the military regimes.