Federación Obrera de Magallanes (F.O.M.), founded 1911
[Workers' Federation of Magallanes]
Labour Agreement for Rural Workers, signed November 1919
In the period immediately following World War I, relations between capital
and labour were strained throughout the whole of Southern Patagonia. For instance,
in Chile, there was a confrontation at the Puerto Bories freezing works during
January 1919, with 8 fatalities: thanks to the intervention of the Red Cross,
worse was averted. Despite formal negotiations, such as the one featured below,
there was further bloodshed in July 1920, when the F.O.M. headquarters in Punta
Arenas was attacked and burnt, with the loss of another 5 lives.
The consequences of this labour unrest for Argentine Patagonia
were far more profound. The strikes of 1921-22 were brutally repressed
by an army detachment: it is estimated that upwards of 1,000 rural
workers were executed. The ranchers applauded the return of "law
and order", and a veil of silence was drawn over these events.
In recent years, they have been documented and analyzed more openly:
such as in the four-volume work by Osvaldo Bayer, "Patagonia
Rebelde".
Workers
Name
Representing
Jorge
Olea
F.O.M.
Juan
Pío Rojas
Alfredo Jara
shearers'
union
José
Beltrán
Francisco Sánchez
shepherds'
union
Adolfo
Cárdenas
Castor Pérez
cooks'
union
Vicente
Pena
Blas del Valle
bakers'
union
Custodio
Vilches Mejía
Manuel J. Merino
general
workers' union
Ranchers
Name
Representing
T.
E. D. Burbury
S.E.T.F.
R.
Ewing
S.A.
Ganadera y Comercial Sara Braun, Estancia Pecket Harbour
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