The Bolivian Workers' Center (, COB) is the chief
trade union federation
Organizers within trade unions have sought to increase the bargaining power of workers in regards to collective bargaining by acting in collaboration with other trade unions. Multi-union organizing can take place on an informal basis, or on a ...
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 ...
. It represents groups such as industry workers, miners, peasants and professionals, its main objective is "achieving the emancipation of workers in Bolivia, in the defense of their fundamental rights, for the definite liberation of the exploited, oppressed, marginalized and the Bolivian People".
It was founded in 1952 following the national revolution that brought the
Revolutionary Nationalist Movement
The Revolutionary Nationalist Movement ( , MNR) is a centre-right, conservative political party in Bolivia. It was the leading force behind the Bolivian National Revolution from 1952 to 1964. It influenced much of the country's history since 19 ...
to power. The most important affiliate of the COB was the
Union Federation of Bolivian Mine Workers (FSTMB). From 1952 to 1987, the COB was led by the legendary
Juan Lechín
Juan Lechín Oquendo (18 May 1914 – 27 August 2001) was a trade union, labor-union leader and head of the Federación Sindical de Trabajadores Mineros de Bolivia, Federation of Bolivian Mine Workers (FSTMB) from 1944 to 1987 and the Central Ob ...
, who was also head of the FSTMB. In its heyday it was arguably the strongest independent labour movement in the world.
Traditionally a demanding, confrontational organization, the COB has had a difficult relationship with every Bolivian president since the 1950s. More recently, it played a significant role in the series of demonstrations that brought down
President Carlos Mesa in 2005. The COB currently supports
nationalization
Nationalization (nationalisation in British English)
is the process of transforming privately owned assets into public assets by bringing them under the public ownership of a national government or state. Nationalization contrasts with p ...
of Bolivian
natural gas reserves and opposed water
privatization
Privatization (rendered privatisation in British English) can mean several different things, most commonly referring to moving something from the public sector into the private sector. It is also sometimes used as a synonym for deregulation w ...
during the
2000 Cochabamba protests
The Cochabamba Water War, also known as the Bolivian Water War, was a series of protests that took place in Cochabamba, Bolivia's fourth largest city, between December 1999 and April 2000 in response to the Water privatization, privatization of ...
. In 2010 it led a brief national march that led to pension reform and in April 2011, it organized a twelve-day general strike for higher wages.
The COB represents about two million Bolivian workers, bringing together workers from various branches of industry and public services as well as consultation with many peasants' and indigenous leaders, such as
Felipe Quispe.
Structure and leadership
The COB is led by a National Executive Committee, which is regularly elected in Ordinary Congresses of the organization, which are held every few years.
The leading figure is the Executive Secretary, followed by the General Secretary. Other members of the National Executive Committee are also named secretaries, each with a designated area of responsibility. Leadership rank within the National Executive Committee has long been allocated by assessing the sector's power and militancy. Since this Fifth Congress, this has been based on: union density (the percentage of workers in the sector who are unionized); degree of emancipation from private property, through nationalization or cooperatives; and history of combativeness, revolutionary tradition, political consciousness, and solidarity with other sectors. In practice, the Executive Secretary has always been from
Bolivia's mining sector.
The current Executive Secretary of the COB is Juan Carlos Huarachi, a miners' union leader in Huanuni, Oruro, who was elected at the XVII National Congress, held in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, in February 2018.
Prior executive secretaries include:
While the National Executive Committee represents the COB, its powers are subordinate to National Congresses (Ordinary and Extraordinary gatherings of member unions) and to National ''Ampliados'' (smaller gatherings of union representatives).
The unions that are part of the COB are affiliated into Federations (typically representing a single sector, such as factory workers or peasants, within one of
Bolivia's departments), which are grouped into (usually national) Confederations by sector.
References
1952 establishments in Bolivia
National trade union centers of Bolivia
Trade unions established in 1952
World Federation of Trade Unions
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