Multiescalaridad y poder territorial como ejes de renovación en el sindicalismo portuario: el caso del Puerto Bahía de Algeciras
Abstract
This article examines a case of trade union renewal in the Spanish port sector through the lens of labour geography. Drawing on qualitative interviews, document analysis, and ethnographic fieldwork conducted between 2018 and 2024, it explores the spatial strategies employed by the Coordinadora Estatal de Trabajadores del Mar—a notable example of successful trade union revitalisation that has achieved substantial representativeness across Spanish ports. The analysis identifies two central dynamics in this process: the deployment of multi-scalar practices and the construction of territorial trade union power. This territorial power is built upon five key pillars: organisational horizontality, a proactive stance toward labour conflict, task-specific skill development, union control, and the fostering of intra-port solidarity. Understanding these vectors of renewal offers valuable insights into both the limitations and possibilities of trade union revitalisation beyond the maritime sector
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