Railway Workers and Occupational Accidents. Complaints, Claims and Lawsuits in Early Twentieth-Century Argentina

Abstract

Drawing upon union sources, political and commercial newspapers, court rulings, and reports of the National Department of Labor, this article analyzes occupational accidents in Argentine railroads during the first two decades of the twentieth century. It focuses on the complaints and demands made by the workers, their families, and their union organizations, to assess how they experienced the dangers and responsibilities to which they were exposed and what actions they undertook to demand what they considered fair. The aim is to understand the role that workers themselves played in the conquest of better working conditions, rights, and labor laws.