Alliances et autonomie politique. Les deux faces du syndicalisme chilien

Abstract

Chile has experienced in the last decade an increase of the labor conflict, with special protagonism of the workers mobilized in illegal strikes. Based on interviews with leaders of 43 strikes held in 2014 and complemented by statistical data, three theses are proposed on what this labor conflict reflects for the current state of trade unionism. 1) The alliances established in the strikes show that trade unionism in the private sector is isolated socially and politically, which contrasts with the syndicalism of the public sector, highly dependent on its alliances with Union confederations and political parties. 2) The overflow of the labor institutionality in the strikes of the private sector, is due to a greater capacity of union to mobilize workers. 3) It has been in the key export sectors of the economy that this internal and autonomous force of trade unionism has developed more rapidly.

Keywords

• collective action
• political parties
• strike
• labor union
• political autonomy