I know global north Socialists have long been used to Trade Union leaders turning their backs on them, and have thus (reasonably so) come to distrust their role in class struggle.
I can't speak for specificities across the entirety of Global South experiences on this, but Trade Unions remain an imprescindible force in class struggle in Abiayala.
Original article: Central Obrera tras abrogación del «decreto maldito» 5503: «Aquí ganó Bolivia» Central Obrera Celebrates Repeal of Controv
Following a month of intense protests, mobilizations, and blockades, Bolivia’s President Rodrigo Paz announced the repeal of the controversial Supreme Decree 5503 this Sunday.
This decision came as a result of pressure from unions and social movements against the measure, which has been dubbed the «cursed decree» that ignited a social crisis and drew opposition from parliament, transporters, community councils, miners, farmers, unions, and popular organizations.
“We believe that the unity of the Bolivian people has led to this outcome; this is not a loss for the ministers or a victory for the leaders, this is a victory for Bolivia,” expressed Mario Argollo, Executive Secretary of the Central Obrera Boliviana (COB), following the signing of the agreement between six state ministers and social organization leaders regarding Supreme Decree 5503.
The strike hasn't been called off though. Having the decree nullified is just one point among several laid out by unionised striking workers, there's still a lot to do for them to dismantle the objectives of the current Bolivian right wing government:
Oviedo outlined the terms of the agreement, stating that other economic measures would remain in effect, such as the lifting of state subsidies on hydrocarbons, an increase in the national minimum wage to 3,300 bolivianos, and the continuation of social bonuses. The Executive requested a 24-hour timeframe to enact a new decree to replace DS 5503.
“We are maintaining the economic part of the decree; we are annulling the rest, and we will work on a new decree together with social organizations,” he affirmed.
Whenever any of you intend to criticise Trade Unions overall from a Marxist-Leninist standpoint, please keep in mind that labour policies across the Global South meant to reproduce the extractivistic nature of the precarising outcome of bourgeois wage labour have kept us from achieving most gains achieved by global northern Trade Unions decades ago (perhaps with the notable exceptions of gringuia, thatcherite UK, Japan, and South Korea); so, all organisation and coordination brought about by Trade Unions have largely provided the sort of programmatically coalescing action that the fragmentary myriad of personalistic and short term-planning Labour Liberal parties and the ever-splitting variety of Communist guerrillas haven't been able to bring about.
At least through the incumbent conditions, if there will emerge a consistent movement striving for Communism anytime soon across our region, it'll probably need to have both the objectives of Marxist-Leninist guerrillas and the organisation and scope of Trade Unions developed during Socialismo del Siglo XXI governing stints here, along with doing away with the racialising segregation still prevalent (Evo-ruled Bolivia probably constituting an example to follow, but including the historically neglected Black communities). A State neo-Zapatismo of sorts —so to speak— integrating the relational immanence of issues articulating class struggle within each specific country.
