The History of a Uruguayan Trade Union in a Context of Crisis. The Case of Federación Ancap (1956-1973)

Abstract

Exploring the union organizations of the state-owned company of petrol, alcohol, and cement, between 1956 and 1973, and its response to the civil-military coup, this article examines the transformation of a workers’ association closely related to the company’s Board into a class-based trade union. It explores the factors that intervened in that process and the socio-political context in which it developed. It draws upon a qualitative methodology, while also employing quantitative information referred. The primary sources are the press, leaflets and union documents, photographs, and interviews with activists from different locations of the country and working places. Salient results include the knowledge of a specific trade union’s history in the context of broader collective actions, the union’s internal process and its social and political contexts, in a critical period of Uruguay’s history.