jos_eligio_torres

Colombian labor leader who transformed mining workers' rights through grassroots organizing

José Eligio Torres (1910-1978) was a pivotal figure in Colombia's labor movement, organizing miners in the Cauca region to secure unprecedented workers' rights. His 1946 United Miners Front unionized 15,000 workers, negotiating Colombia's first industry-wide labor contract that included healthcare benefits and safety standards. Torres' innovative community co-management model allowed workers to participate in mine operation decisions, a concept later adopted by Chile's Popular Unity government. His 1953 memoir From Pickaxe to Pen became a manual for Latin American labor organizers, influencing the 1960 Organization of American States Labor Charter. Torres' 1968 strike halted coal exports for 45 days, forcing the government to recognize collective bargaining rights. His collaboration with German sociologist Ralf Dahrendorf produced the Bogotá Labor Accord, a blueprint for modern labor law. Torres' later work with the Latin American Workers Solidarity Network (1972-1978) connected Colombian miners with Chilean and Mexican unions during the Cold War. His archives at Columbia University reveal his role in drafting the ILO Convention 176 on occupational safety. Contemporary labor scholars cite his solidarity economy concepts as precursors to modern cooperatives movements.