Latin American Center of Workers

(La Central Latinoamericana de Trabajadores), an association of trade unions, cooperatives, and peasant, women’s, and youth movements of Latin America. Its ideology combines nationalism and Christian socialism. Founded in 1954, it was known as the Latin American Confederation of Christian Trade Unions until 1971. In 1972 it included 40 organizations from various countries of South America and Central America and branch federations of peasants, construction workers, workers in the food-processing industry, transportation workers, and bank employees.

Although its own organizations had only 1 million members (1970), the center’s trade union activists worked in organizations that included about 6 million people (according to official data from 1970). The center emphasizes work among workers who are not organized into trade unions and establishes workers’ circles, agrarian leagues, and cooperatives. Having overcome its original reformist and anti-Communist tendencies, since the early 1960’s the Latin American Center of Workers has taken anti-imperialist positions, coming out against reactionary dictatorships and advocating trade union rights, agrarian reforms, and a broadening of labor legislation. On a number of specific questions it collaborates with the Permanent Congress of Trade Union Unity of Latin America. The bureau of the Latin American Center of Workers is located in Caracas, Venezuela.