La riconciliazione nel movimento sindacale spagnolo

Abstract

Reconciliation in the Spanish trade union movement

This study examines the issue of trade union reconciliation along two — often overlapped — lines. On the one hand, the processes leading to convergence of various sectors, some belonging to the enemy’s front in the Civil War, are dealt with. The most significant outcome in this sense is the emergence of two new trade unions (Comisiones Obreras and Unión Sindical Obrera), whose “open” origin reflects a highly pragmatic attitude, very dangerous for Franco’s regime. The other line refers to reconciliation within historical trade unions and analyzes how trade unions were impacted by the participation of historical trade unions in anti- Francoist alliances and CNT’s cincopuntismo. Finally, the scope of action of the trade union movement is regarded as being of paramount importance in the difficult rapprochement between socialists and communists, whose early signs can be traced back to the late Sixties, when the socialists started to approach factories.