José Alonso (trade-unionist)

José Alonso (Montserrat, Buenos Aires, 6 February 1917 - 1970) was an Argentine politician and trade-unionist.

Early life

José Alonso was the son of a Spanish tailor, and dedicated himself to the same profession. He was first elected syndicalist representant of the tailors in 1938. Alonso supported at first socialism and Alfredo L. Palacios, but was nevertheless one of the first to support the ascending colonel Juan Domingo Perón, Secretary of Labor of the military government in power since June 4, 1943.

On 23 March, 1943, Alonso created the SOIVA (Sindicato de la Industria del Vestido de la Capital Federal, Trade-Union of Garnment Industry of Capital Federal) textile trade-union to counter the influence of the communist Federación Obrera del Vestido (FOV, Workers' Federation of Garnment). Supported by Perón, the SOIVA soon became one of the strongest trade-unions of Argentina. Again, in 1945 and also with support of the military junta, Alonso founded the FONIVA (Federación Obrera Nacional de la Industria del Vestido) national federation, and became its vice-secretary.

During the Peronist government

José Alonso, elected secretary of the SOIVA in 1946, became part of the Confederal Central Comitee of the CGT trade-union. He travelled abroad, being delegate of Argentine workers' in serveral conferences of the International Labour Organization (ILO) and took part in the formation of the ATLAS (Agrupación de Trabajadores Latinoamericanos Sindicalistas, a Latin American trade-union confederation) in 1952.

He married at that time María Luisa Pinella, another trade-unionist who had earnt Eva Perón's trust.

José Alonso then participated, along with other unionist leaders, as representant of the CGT, to the First National Congress of Philosophy, in Mendoza (March-April 1949), which contributed to set the bases of the Peronist movement.

He also collaborated to the creation of the FATRE (Federación Argentina de Trabajadores Rurales y Estibadores) and was a member of the directorship of the Fundación Eva Perón from 1952 to 1955, as well as secretary of the directorship of the EPASA, which published La Prensa and other newspapers.

Alonso was elected deputy of the Capital Federal from 1952 to 1955. He participated to the elaboration of the law on collective bargaining and the law on the pay of free day for workers working at home.

Revolución Libertadora

Following the 1955 Revolución Libertadora, a military putsch which ousted Perón, Alonso was detained, before being unexpectedly released on 25 June, 1956. Apparently that was an error, and the junta tried to capture him again, but Alonso managed to join Perón in his Venezuelian exile. He then participated to the negotiations between Perón and Rogelio Frigerio, representant of the presidential candidate Arturo Frondizi (Radical Civic Union, UCR).

Alonso returned to Argentina in 1957, and was again detained, for several months, following the strike in the Frigorífico Nacional Lisandro de la Torre. He then tried to re-organize his former group of textile workers, as the trade-union's direction had been named by the dictatorship.

In March 1960, he was again elected as secretary general, and participated in the CGT de la Resistencia o Auténtica, headed by the steelworker Armando Cabo. He authorized his union's adhesion to the 62 Organizaciones, a Peronist trade-union association created following the 1957 CGT Congress.

Category: Assassinated Argentine politicians Category: People from Buenos Aires Category: Argentine trade-unionist

es:José Alonso gl:José Alonso