National confederation of labor

Description of events

Unions
Date : –
Address :  Portu nº14, 1º

Anarchist ideology groups began to spread along the left bank of the Nervión at the end of the 19th century. There were numerous anarchist-inspired social organizations that succeeded one another in the manufacturing town in the first third of the following century. To give a couple of example, the Esperantista Group – still existing – with headquarters in the Plaza de Vilallonga was created in 1908. Under the same anarchist influence, the Barakaldesa branch of the Vizcaya Vegetarian-Naturist Society was founded in 1918, according to Mikel Aizpuru. 

With a more political character, the Baracaldo Center for Workers’ Studies was created at the beginning of the 20th century. In 1912, the Federation of Libertarian Groups of the Basque Region was born in the town.

Due to this development of anarchist nuclei, it is not surprising the emergence in Barakaldo of trade union and political organizations of this nature. In 1919, the Unique Union of Iron Art of Vizcaya was established in the municipality, the first organization linked to the CNT.

Precisely of this organization, we have evidence in the 30s of the existence in the manufacturing town of a branch that had its headquarters at Calle Portu nº 14, 1º, and that it shared with the Barakaldesa branch of the Iberian Anarchist Federation. It was a union of enormous importance – it had more than 1,000 members in Barakaldo – not only from a union point of view, but also politically during the course of the Civil War.

With the outbreak of the conflict, the CNT came to occupy the Salesianos school on August 26, 1936 to use it as a barracks for one of its battalions.

SOURCES :
AIZPURU, Mikel (2010). Barakaldo, an industrial city: boom and consolidation (1900-1937). Vol. I. Bilbao: Beta III Milenio, DL