General Confederation of Labour (Portugal)
Encyclopedia
The General Confederation of Labour is a former Portuguese
labour union
confederation.
It was greatly influenced by the anarcho-syndicalist movement. According to its statutes, its three goals were:
The highest decision-making organ in the CGT was the confederation council, a national congress of representatives, which in turn elected seven members that formed the national committee to handle day-to-day matters. Some anarcho-syndicalists and the Communist Party called for the creation of a body to administer the economy after power had been seized. The organizational structure hardly differed from that of the UON. The main ideological difference was the distance it maintained to the Portuguese Socialist Party of Portugal. The CGT's daily newspaper was called A Batalha. In 1922 the union became officially recognized and joined the International Workers Association
(IWA).
Estimates on the membership of the CGT differ greatly. The union itself claimed a membership of about 150,000 from 1919 to 1922 and a steady decrease to 50,000 by 1927. Other estimates claim the membership never even exceeded 100,000 and even shrank to 80,000 by 1922. The membership is considerable nonetheless as Portugal boasted only a few hundred thousand industrial workers and artisans at the time.
From 1922 onwards membership fell considerably, despite militancy in the working class remaining constant. The phenomenon is likely the result of political bickering within the organization. Accordingly, the Communist Party withdrew all unions associated with it from the CGT in 1924 and established its own trade union federation in 1925. The CGT became increasingly concentrated in the industrial centers Lisbon
/Setúbal
/Barreiro, Porto
/Braga
, and Covilhã
. At the same time, actions by the union lost in efficiency, its structure became increasingly hierarchical, and repression by the state and business became more commonplace. Likewise, the circulation of A Batalha sank from 25,000 in 1919/1920 to 10,000 in 1925. In 1922, it was decided that non-union organizations could join the CGT as well.
Ditadura Nacional
After the 28th May 1926 coup d'état
, the labour movement suffered great repression and the General Confederation of Labour would be dismantled. In 1927, it attempted a general strike
against the government, which failed and led to 100 dead, the deportation of about 600 individuals involved in the conflicts to overseas territories, and the banning of the CGT, A Batalha, numerous individual trade unions, and the May Day
demonstrations.
At first, the confederation council and the national committee continued their work in secret, publishing a regular Information Bulletin, but on November 2, 1927, an assault by the government, which included arrests and attacks on suspected union offices by the police, further restricted union activity. The CGT continued to exist nonetheless. In 1929, it was even able to regain legality in a judicial battle, which it retained until September 23, 1933, when two government decrees banned all non-state-controlled trade unions. A general strike by the CGT and other organizations called for on January 18, 1934 failed. The illegal activities by the CGT were then limited to Lisbon and the Algarve. In 1938, Emídio Santana, the secretary-general of the federation, took part in a failed assassination attempt on Salazar
. The ensuing repression killed off the CGT completely.
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
labour union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
confederation.
Post-war period
The General Confederation of Labour had its roots in the National Workers' Union (UON) and was founded on September 13, 1919. It was the only Portuguese trade union at the time.It was greatly influenced by the anarcho-syndicalist movement. According to its statutes, its three goals were:
- the unification of all workers of the country to defend their "economic, social and professional interests, as well as to improve their moral, material and physical condition"
- to develop the skills within the working class necessary to overthrow capitalismCapitalismCapitalism is an economic system that became dominant in the Western world following the demise of feudalism. There is no consensus on the precise definition nor on how the term should be used as a historical category...
- to exercise the concept of mutual helpMutualism (economic theory)Mutualism is an anarchist school of thought that originates in the writings of Pierre-Joseph Proudhon, who envisioned a society where each person might possess a means of production, either individually or collectively, with trade representing equivalent amounts of labor in the free market...
The highest decision-making organ in the CGT was the confederation council, a national congress of representatives, which in turn elected seven members that formed the national committee to handle day-to-day matters. Some anarcho-syndicalists and the Communist Party called for the creation of a body to administer the economy after power had been seized. The organizational structure hardly differed from that of the UON. The main ideological difference was the distance it maintained to the Portuguese Socialist Party of Portugal. The CGT's daily newspaper was called A Batalha. In 1922 the union became officially recognized and joined the International Workers Association
International Workers Association
The International Workers' Association is an international federation of anarcho-syndicalist labour unions and initiatives based primarily in Europe and Latin America....
(IWA).
Estimates on the membership of the CGT differ greatly. The union itself claimed a membership of about 150,000 from 1919 to 1922 and a steady decrease to 50,000 by 1927. Other estimates claim the membership never even exceeded 100,000 and even shrank to 80,000 by 1922. The membership is considerable nonetheless as Portugal boasted only a few hundred thousand industrial workers and artisans at the time.
From 1922 onwards membership fell considerably, despite militancy in the working class remaining constant. The phenomenon is likely the result of political bickering within the organization. Accordingly, the Communist Party withdrew all unions associated with it from the CGT in 1924 and established its own trade union federation in 1925. The CGT became increasingly concentrated in the industrial centers Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
/Setúbal
Setúbal
Setúbal is the main city in Setúbal Municipality in Portugal with a total area of 172.0 km² and a total population of 118,696 inhabitants in the municipality. The city proper has 89,303 inhabitants....
/Barreiro, Porto
Porto
Porto , also known as Oporto in English, is the second largest city in Portugal and one of the major urban areas in the Iberian Peninsula. Its administrative limits include a population of 237,559 inhabitants distributed within 15 civil parishes...
/Braga
Braga
Braga , a city in the Braga Municipality in northwestern Portugal, is the capital of the Braga District, the oldest archdiocese and the third major city of the country. Braga is the oldest Portuguese city and one of the oldest Christian cities in the World...
, and Covilhã
Covilhã
Covilhã is a city in Covilha Municipality in Centro region, Portugal. The city proper has 36,723 inhabitants, and the municipality has an area of 555.6 km² with a total population of 53,501, being composed of 31 parishes. It is located in the Cova da Beira subregion, in the district of...
. At the same time, actions by the union lost in efficiency, its structure became increasingly hierarchical, and repression by the state and business became more commonplace. Likewise, the circulation of A Batalha sank from 25,000 in 1919/1920 to 10,000 in 1925. In 1922, it was decided that non-union organizations could join the CGT as well.
Ditadura NacionalDitadura NacionalThe Ditadura Nacional was the name of the Portuguese regime initiated by the election of President Óscar Carmona in 1928 that lasted until the adoption of the new constitution in 1933, when the régime changed its name to Estado Novo...
and Estado Novo
After the 28th May 1926 coup d'état28th May 1926 coup d'état
The 28 May 1926 coup d'état, sometimes called 28 May Revolution or, during the period of Estado Novo , National Revolution , was a military action that put an end to the unstable Portuguese First Republic and initiated the Ditadura Nacional , later, renamed the Estado Novo, an authoritarian...
, the labour movement suffered great repression and the General Confederation of Labour would be dismantled. In 1927, it attempted a general strike
General strike
A general strike is a strike action by a critical mass of the labour force in a city, region, or country. While a general strike can be for political goals, economic goals, or both, it tends to gain its momentum from the ideological or class sympathies of the participants...
against the government, which failed and led to 100 dead, the deportation of about 600 individuals involved in the conflicts to overseas territories, and the banning of the CGT, A Batalha, numerous individual trade unions, and the May Day
May Day
May Day on May 1 is an ancient northern hemisphere spring festival and usually a public holiday; it is also a traditional spring holiday in many cultures....
demonstrations.
At first, the confederation council and the national committee continued their work in secret, publishing a regular Information Bulletin, but on November 2, 1927, an assault by the government, which included arrests and attacks on suspected union offices by the police, further restricted union activity. The CGT continued to exist nonetheless. In 1929, it was even able to regain legality in a judicial battle, which it retained until September 23, 1933, when two government decrees banned all non-state-controlled trade unions. A general strike by the CGT and other organizations called for on January 18, 1934 failed. The illegal activities by the CGT were then limited to Lisbon and the Algarve. In 1938, Emídio Santana, the secretary-general of the federation, took part in a failed assassination attempt on Salazar
António de Oliveira Salazar
António de Oliveira Salazar, GColIH, GCTE, GCSE served as the Prime Minister of Portugal from 1932 to 1968. He also served as acting President of the Republic briefly in 1951. He founded and led the Estado Novo , the authoritarian, right-wing government that presided over and controlled Portugal...
. The ensuing repression killed off the CGT completely.