The Trade Union Confederation of Bolivian Workers ( es, Confederación Sindical de Trabajadores de Bolivia, CSTB) was the largest and most prominent

trade union A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits ( ...

confederation in

Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center , flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...

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, Inc., was an American oil production, transportation, refining, and marketing company that operated from 1870 to 1911. At its height, Standard Oil was the largest petroleum company in the world, and its success made its co-f ...

" in

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 known as Nuestra Señora de La Paz (Spanish pronunciation: ), is the seat of government of the Bolivia, Plurinational State of Bolivia. With an estimated 816,044 residents as of 2020, La Paz is the List of Bolivian cities ...

, 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 pop ...

, 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 Socialist Single Front (Spanish: ''Frente Único Socialista'', FUS) was a Bolivian electoral political alliance of left-wing and socialist political parties and organizations. The Socialist Single Front was established on 18 February 1938, for the ...

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

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 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 ( es, Partido de la Izquierda Revolucionaria, 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 Oru ...

(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 ( es, Central Obrera Boliviana, COB) is the chief trade union federation in Bolivia. It was founded in 1952 following the national revolution that brought the Revolutionary Nationalist Movement to power. The most imp ...

(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