The Impact of Labor Strikes Unions Politicization Processes in Chile

Abstract

Starting from the complex regulation of labor conflict in Chile, the main characteristics of the 43 most import labor strikes, which cover the public and private sector, and the three most populated regions of the country during the year 2014, are analyzed using a qualitative analysis of semi-structured interviews applied to trade union leaders, with the objective of understanding the impact these events had over the politization of their respective unions. The causes, development and consequences of the labor strikes are inquired from the point of view of the labor unions, and they show an important negative impact over the perceptions of union leaders with regards to labor legislation, which is assesed as favorable to the interest of the employers. In many cases, this analysis goes beyond labor matters, as a trade union politization which is critical towards the general institution, although without concrete alternatives of transformation outside the established rules of the game.