Confederation Of Bolivian Workers
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The Trade Union Confederation of Bolivian Workers (, CSTB) was the largest and most prominent
trade union A trade union (British English) or labor union (American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers whose purpose is to maintain or improve the conditions of their employment, such as attaining better wages ...
confederation in
Bolivia Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country located in central South America. The country features diverse geography, including vast Amazonian plains, tropical lowlands, mountains, the Gran Chaco Province, w ...
from 1936 to 1952. A National Labor Congress met on 29 November–6 December 1936, with 134 delegates present, and created the CSTB. The congress adopted a number of resolutions, these included demands for nationalization of the holdings of "
Standard Oil Company Standard Oil Company was a corporate trust in the petroleum industry that existed from 1882 to 1911. The origins of the trust lay in the operations of the Standard Oil Company (Ohio), which had been founded in 1870 by John D. Rockefeller. The ...
" in
Bolivia Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country located in central South America. The country features diverse geography, including vast Amazonian plains, tropical lowlands, mountains, the Gran Chaco Province, w ...
and workers' profit sharing, minimum wage related to the cost of living. The CSTB at its inception was based principally on the chauffeurs and factory workers of
La Paz La Paz, officially Nuestra Señora de La Paz (Aymara language, Aymara: Chuqi Yapu ), is the seat of government of the Bolivia, Plurinational State of Bolivia. With 755,732 residents as of 2024, La Paz is the List of Bolivian cities by populati ...
, some factory workers' unions in
Oruro Oruro (Hispanicized spelling) or Uru Uru is a city in Bolivia with a population of 264,683 (2012 calculation), about halfway between La Paz and Sucre in the Altiplano, approximately above sea level. It is Bolivia's fifth-largest city by populat ...
, and a few groups of miners, as well as various artisans' groups. Most CSTB leaders worked closely with the Germán Busch Becerra’ government. For the 1938 congressional elections, the CSTB was the component of the pro-military Socialist Single Front and elected many deputies of the Assembly. During the 1938 Constituent Assembly, the CSTB was an influential element of the leftist political grouping. Germán Busch Becerra also appointed CSTB representatives to various government commissions. The Confederation held its Second Congress in
La Paz La Paz, officially Nuestra Señora de La Paz (Aymara language, Aymara: Chuqi Yapu ), is the seat of government of the Bolivia, Plurinational State of Bolivia. With 755,732 residents as of 2024, La Paz is the List of Bolivian cities by populati ...
in January 1939. There was considerable political controversy, particularly between the followers of Tristan Marof and those favoring the Stalinist-oriented Front of the Bolivian Left, led by Jose Antonio Arze. Fearing the efforts of Arze's backers to make the CSTB part of his Front the Marofist elements, who were in the majority, pushed through a resolution declaring the "complete autonomy" of the CSTB from all political parties. Political controversy continued within the CSTB, when the forces led by
José Antonio Arze José is a predominantly Spanish and Portuguese form of the given name Joseph. While spelled alike, this name is pronounced very differently in each of the two languages: Spanish ; Portuguese (or ). In French, the name ''José'', pronounced , ...
held a congress in July 1940 to convert the Front of the Bolivian Left into a political party, the
Revolutionary Left Party The Revolutionary Left Party (, PIR) was a communist party in Bolivia. It was founded by Dr. José Antonio Arze and other Bolivian intellectuals on 26 July 1940 during a left-wing congress held in Oruro. The PIR was sympathetic to the Commun ...
(PIR), an invitation was sent to the CSTB to participate in this meeting. The Executive of the CSTB, still controlled by Tristan Marof, refused this invitation. As a consequence of this quarrel, the CSTB split. The pro-PIR elements called a "Congress" of the CSTB in 1942, which chose Aurelio Alcoba of the PIR as its secretary-general. But the majority of the CSTB remained loyal to the old leadership. However, the influence of Marof was declining. When the CSTB was finally reunited, it was firmly under the control of the PIR. The CSTB dispersed in 1952;Víctor Alba. Historia del movimiento obrero en America latina. Stanford University Press, 1968. P.265. the newly formed
Bolivian Workers' Center The Bolivian Workers' Center (, COB) is the chief trade union federation in Bolivia. It represents groups such as industry workers, miners, peasants and professionals, its main objective is "achieving the emancipation of workers in Bolivia, in the ...
(COB) became the country's primary union federation.


Notes

{{Portal, Organized labour National trade union centers of Bolivia Trade unions established in 1936 1936 establishments in Bolivia