Del barrio a la fábrica : El proceso de repolitización fabril en la Argentina reciente

The phrase « from the factory to the neighborhood » was the expression that became popular in Argentina the process of loss of centrality of the union struggle and the simultaneous emergence of the unemployed movement in the 90. Today, the social scenario in the country seems to refute that statement. The union revitalization is undeniable and, within it, the factory has become visible as a locus of organization, struggle and politicizing. This article presents an analysis of the union revitalization at the factory level, divided into two parts. A periodization of conflicts featuring shop stewards at workplace, and an analysis of the characteristics of this grassroots unionism , through Kraft Foods factory struggle in 2009. These are: the tension between strengthening unions « above » (as a state policy of kirchnerism) and strengthening « from below » (at the workplace); the existence of a new generation of workers, the « 2001 generation »; the combination of re-politicization process and the presence of the radical left in Argentina, particularly political parties in the Trotskyist tradition