The Vineyard and Fruit Contractor in Mendoza, Argentina: the struggle for the identity of the worker

Abstract

The contratista de viñaswas a central figure in the development of Mendoza wineindustry sincethe late 19th century. The particularities of this occupational category have generated a debate on whether these workersaresalaried or independent (entrepreneurs) workers. From a historical perspective, this paperstudies the process of identity and legal construction of the contratistaas a rural workerand studies, in particular, the struggle of the workers and the participation of the State in thisprocess. The documentary corpus used is based on bibliography of political and social leaders, parliamentary discussions and newspapers.

Keywords

• class consciousness
• contratista de viñas
• entrepreneues
• labor legislation
• unionism
• agricultural work