AYMARA UNION LEADER JOSE FLORES SANTOS STARTS CONFEDERACIÓN SINDICAL ÚNICA DE TRABAJADORES CAMPESINOS DE BOLIVIA (CSUTCB)
Flores Santos formed CSUTCB in opposition to government-sponsored peasant unions. Under the Tupaj Katari Revolutionary Movement, the CSUTCB became the leading force in the Central Obrera Boliviana labor federation (COB). CSUTCB pressured the COB to move beyond its class-based focus to address indigenous demands, as well. During the administration of García Meza, Flores Santos served as clandestine executive secretary until he was shot and paralyzed by a military patrol on June 18, 1981. In the 1990s, the CSUTCB stretched its indigenous support base of Aymara-speaking people to Guaraní- and Quechua-speaking peoples as well. The CSUTCB played a significant role in the demonstrations that brought down President Carlos Mesa in 2005. The CSUTCB has supported nationalisation of Bolivia’s natural gas reserves and opposed water privatization. It was also a founding member of the Pact of Unity supporting the Evo Morales government.
Sources: Jeffrey R. Webber, Red October: Left-Indigenous Struggles in Modern Bolivia (Boston: Brill, 2011), 163-67. Retrieved 12/8/2020, Red October: Left-Indigenous Struggles in Modern Bolivia - Jeffery R. Webber - Google Books Wikipedia Clip Art: Courtesy of Public Domain Vectors, Raised fist vector | Public domain vectors
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