TRADE UNION AND PEASANT ORGANIZATIONS: CAUSES, CONSEQUENCES - HISTORY - 2024

The trade unions and peasant in Mexico, and the like in the rest of the world, arose from the need to join a group of workers who belonged to the same labor sector. This happened so that they could defend their needs before their employers and before the government.

There is little information related to the date and the particular causes that motivated the emergence of union and peasant organizations in the Mexican nation; However, many authors agree that the beginnings of this movement in Mexico took place at the end of the 19th century.

Source: es.wikipedia.org

The creation of these types of organizations continued throughout the 20th century. In this way, the National Peasant Confederation (CNC) emerged, considered the most important peasant organization for the country, and the Mexican Workers' Confederation (CTM), classified as the most powerful union organization.

Despite the importance of this type of groupings, they have not been completely effective because, commonly, some of the members that belong to the organization look out only for their personal interests and not for the common good.

Origin

Emergence and characteristics of trade union organizations

Trade union organizations emerge in the world so that workers can join forces when defending their interests before employers and before the government that leads the nation. They are characterized by grouping a group of workers who belong to the same work area in a group with similar ideas.

There are some mechanisms that trade union organizations can use so that employers or governments of the moment meet their demands. Some of them are: sectoral strikes, general protests, collective bargaining and social dialogue.

Trade union organizations emerged around the middle of the 19th century in the world, after groups that belonged to different labor or worker areas began to form alliances to enforce the demands they had.

The first countries to see the emergence of this type of movement were Portugal, Belgium and Germany. A few years later, trade union organizations began to emerge in different countries of the world; among them Mexico, located in the north of Latin America.

In the early 20th century, Mexican labor unions agreed to wage increases, which did not exceed productivity increases. This decision was made to facilitate economic growth during the postwar period and contributed to reducing the country's inflationary effect.

Causes

Formation of social movements

The working conditions in the Latin American country made workers unify in different organizations that allowed them to achieve their objectives. The workers were seen as economically disadvantaged, causing the union movement to quickly gather strength.

There is little information corresponding to the exact date on which union and peasant organizations emerged in Mexico; However, the appearance of this type of movement in the Latin American country occurred between the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century.

The peasant and worker organizations were born in Mexico as a way of verifying that the improvements in the working and living conditions of the agrarian and labor sectors were fulfilled; these conditions were contemplated in the Constitution of 1917.

Approximately between the decades of 1920 and 1930, diverse worker peasant organizations arose, being the National Peasant Confederation (CNC) the most important.

In addition, the Confederación de Trabajadores de México (CTM) emerged, considered the most influential labor union organization in Central America.

Many of these organizations have sought to solve their demands through the struggle for democracy. The principles of this political system are usually applied within Mexican union organizations.

Mexican Regional Labor Confederation

The National Peasant Confederation (CNC) was born as an organization made up of workers who were in charge of different areas, mainly related to agricultural production in Mexico. It was founded in August 1938.

During the first years after its formation, this organization was the only one that represented workers in the peasant sector in Mexico.

Consequences

Difficulty influencing public policies

The evolution of political conditions in Mexico over the years and the reforms carried out in agrarian matters have made peasant organizations lose their ability to influence public policies in the country.

For this reason, they have become dependent on the State through the social programs that governments implement.

Other historical reasons have also emerged that caused difficulties for these organizations to influence public policies in the Latin American country.

The change in the conditions of the field is considered one of the main problems, since as a consequence of them production and the number of peasants in activity have decreased.

On the other hand, the lack of a strong ideological link with the peasant organization means that the people who participate in these organizations do so constantly based on their immediate problems and not for the common good. Such a situation generates a lack of commitment that affects the stability of organizations.

Loss of state support

The inability of peasant organizations to influence public policies is also due to the decrease in peasant participation in the agricultural Gross Domestic Product (GDP). This situation caused the state to abandon some alliances with the peasantry at the end of the 20th century.

On the other hand, the internal functioning of the unions in Mexico was not visible to their members, until in 2012 a series of labor reforms were implemented in the North American country.

This change made the nation's unions more accountable to the people they represented and more open in their decision-making.

References

1. Mexico, Portal Solidarity Center, (nd). Taken from solidaritycenter.org
2. Confederation of Mexican Workers, Wikipedia in English, (nd). Taken from wikipedia.org
3. A look at labor unions in Mexico, Portal Tecma Group, (nd). Taken from tecma.com
4. The “peasant” organizations and the political transition in Mexico, Portal Observatoire des Amériques, (2007). Taken from ieim.uqam.ca
5. The army and trade union and peasant organizations, Portal Monographs, (nd). Taken from monografias.com
6. Trade union and peasant organizations, Author Gutierrez, J., Blogger Portal, (nd). Taken from gutierrezpinachojesus.blogspot.com
7. Trade union organizations, Portal Sitovur, (nd). Taken from sitovur.webcindario.com