Tightening the Screws: Autonomy, Collective Action, and Violence in Puerto Real During the Second Shipbuilding Restructuring

Abstract

In 1982, the Spanish government passed the Shipbuilding Industry Restructuring Act. In the mid-1980s, conflicts occurred at shipyards throughout the Spanish state. This article focuses on workers’ resistance to shipbuilding restructuring in the shipyard of Puerto Real (Cádiz, Spain). We discuss the causes behind the singularity of this episode of workers resistance to restructuring in Puerto Real during the 1980s, which stands out because of the size of the conflict and the radicalism of its collective action. We also explore social perceptions of violence among the parties involved in the protest and analyze the different trade union models involved in the conflict. We conclude that there is a strong relationship between the autonomy of workers’ structures and the radicalism of their methods of collective action.