Unión de Trabajadores Colombianos
Encyclopedia
Unión de Trabajadores Colombianos was a central trade union
confederation in Colombia
.
UTC was founded by the Jesuit elements of the Roman Catholic Church
in June 1946, as the Liberal-led Confederación de Trabajadores de Colombia was in a weakened state. UTC was based on Catholic social doctrine. A core sector of the newly-founded UTC were the Catholic trade unions in the textile factories of Medellín
.
UTC immediately attracted many members—some from the ranks of the CTC and others from small unions, particularly industry groups—that had not been enticed to join the leftist CTC. Both industrialists and the Conservative government supported the UTC, largely because it did not represent a threat to the political and economic elite. The subsequent period of labour repression and co-optation by the government served to eliminate radical elements of the movement while taming the less militant segments.
The near anarchy that followed the 1948 assassination of Jorge Eliécer Gaitán
, a member of Congress who had long been a champion of the disadvantaged, had a different although equally demoralizing effect on rural workers. The plight of smallholder coffee farmers worsened rapidly, and many of them fled the countryside in the face of widespread violence. This served to consolidate landholdings in rural areas, as well as drive large numbers of unskilled rural laborers into the hands of the UTC. Collectively, labor emerged from the 1950s demoralized and virtually without political power. The UTC, which at this point commanded the majority of organized labor and the diminished rural groups, had no political means of effecting even the slightest changes and was without an advocate in national government.
Gradually, UTC acquired a more secular profile. During the National Front
period the UTC faced numerous internal problems, which caused many individual unions to withdraw from its ranks. Moreover, the UTC (along with CTC) was increasingly seen as instruments of the political elite, a factor contributing to its decreasing influence amongst Colombian workers.
During the 1980s, UTC had entered into severe crisis.
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 in Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
.
UTC was founded by the Jesuit elements of the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
in June 1946, as the Liberal-led Confederación de Trabajadores de Colombia was in a weakened state. UTC was based on Catholic social doctrine. A core sector of the newly-founded UTC were the Catholic trade unions in the textile factories of Medellín
Medellín
Medellín , officially the Municipio de Medellín or Municipality of Medellín, is the second largest city in Colombia. It is in the Aburrá Valley, one of the more northerly of the Andes in South America. It has a population of 2.3 million...
.
UTC immediately attracted many members—some from the ranks of the CTC and others from small unions, particularly industry groups—that had not been enticed to join the leftist CTC. Both industrialists and the Conservative government supported the UTC, largely because it did not represent a threat to the political and economic elite. The subsequent period of labour repression and co-optation by the government served to eliminate radical elements of the movement while taming the less militant segments.
The near anarchy that followed the 1948 assassination of Jorge Eliécer Gaitán
Jorge Eliécer Gaitán
Jorge Eliécer Gaitán Ayala was a politician, a leader of a populist movement in Colombia, a former Education Minister and Labor Minister , mayor of Bogotá and one of the most charismatic leaders of the Liberal Party.He was assassinated during his second presidential campaign in 1948, setting off...
, a member of Congress who had long been a champion of the disadvantaged, had a different although equally demoralizing effect on rural workers. The plight of smallholder coffee farmers worsened rapidly, and many of them fled the countryside in the face of widespread violence. This served to consolidate landholdings in rural areas, as well as drive large numbers of unskilled rural laborers into the hands of the UTC. Collectively, labor emerged from the 1950s demoralized and virtually without political power. The UTC, which at this point commanded the majority of organized labor and the diminished rural groups, had no political means of effecting even the slightest changes and was without an advocate in national government.
Gradually, UTC acquired a more secular profile. During the National Front
National Front (Colombia)
National Front was a period in the history of Colombia in which the two main political parties; Liberal Party and Conservative Party agreed to let the opposite party govern, intercalating for a period of four presidential terms....
period the UTC faced numerous internal problems, which caused many individual unions to withdraw from its ranks. Moreover, the UTC (along with CTC) was increasingly seen as instruments of the political elite, a factor contributing to its decreasing influence amongst Colombian workers.
During the 1980s, UTC had entered into severe crisis.