Liderazgos precarios: Organización y líderes sindicales en perspectiva comparada

Abstract

Significant labor protests occurred in the Latin American mining industry in the past decade. This article compares the mobilizations of contract workers in Chile and Peru, analyzing why, despite several similarities between these countries, divergences in labor dynamics emerged. In the former case, the unions lasted over time and coordinated at the national level, while in the latter the protests did not culminate in solid or articulated organizations. On the basis of interviews and archival work, I argue that it is crucial to understand the permanence of union leaders and their dense political networks in Chile, and the precarity not only in employment conditions but also in the organizational networks of the Peruvian case.