Capitalism and Labor in Asturias: A Historical Overview
Capitalism and Labor in Asturias
Development of Steel and Metallurgy
Despite the late arrival of foreign capital in the 1830s, Asturias had a modest industrial history, including:
- The cobrería de Avilés, founded in 1753, based on traditional crafts.
- The furnace towers of Mieres (1792) for coke manufacturing.
- The Marquis de Sagardelos’ factory (1791) for steel and ceramics.
- The Real Asturian Mines Company with French and royal capital (Queen Maria Cristina) setting up facilities in Avilés.
Mid-century saw the construction of the Langreo-Gijon road (1845) and railway (1854), significantly boosting mining and steel development.
The Coal and Metallurgical Union
In 1886, through a process of concentration and absorption, the Duro Felguera Company emerged as the leading coal producer and consumer. Between 1860 and 1865, two furnaces were built, driven by the demand for rails for the Gijon-Langreo railway. Duro-Felguera became the first company to integrate iron and coal sectors, leading to urban development around Nalón. The 1840s and 1850s witnessed the emergence of industrial holdings in the basin, exploiting coal and iron together.
Impact on the Asturian Working Class
The growth of mining and steel industries significantly increased the number of proletarians in Asturias. The number of miners rose steadily from 1900, with a 126% increase between 1913 and 1920. Galician and Spanish workers migrated to the mining areas due to the halt in coal imports from England during World War I. However, from 1921, emigration declined, leading to layoffs and a return to their regions of origin.
The Golden Age
The Asturian economy in mining flourished during World War I. Official coal prices tripled, and the black market allowed for the accumulation of wealth. Wages also rose, improving the working class’s living standards from 1915. Unemployment vanished, and overtime was paid. Although prices rose simultaneously, wages initially outpaced them. However, by 1925, the gap reappeared, the 8-hour workday was abolished, and the situation worsened due to wage cuts.
Changes in the Labor Movement
Socialism spread to the Cantabrian region after a split within the International Workingmen’s Association (AIT) at the Zaragoza Labor Congress in 1872. The AIT’s influence in Asturias was weak, with small groups in Oviedo, Sama de Langreo, and Mieres that barely survived three years. Francisco Cadavieco, a worker at the port of El Musel, organized the first Asturian Socialist regional group in 1891. Soon after, the Oviedo Socialist Society was formed by workers from various trades.
Anarchism in Asturias also originated from the Zaragoza Labor Congress and arrived through the port of El Musel. It remained confined to metallurgical sectors and workers in Gijón and La Felguera.
The Socialist Federation of the Asturias region emerged, uniting socialist groups from Gijon, Oviedo, Sama de Langreo, and Turon. Early leaders who promoted socialism in mining areas were Juan González and Manuel Alvarez Marina in the Nalón and Caudal basins (Langreo).
Social Struggles and Organized Labor
The first strike occurred in 1881 for better pay. Subsequent strikes, like those of Musel workers or the Mieres factory, resulted in the dismissal of 700 workers. Despite employer repression, social conflicts continued. Between 1907 and 1911, conflicts affected small workshops and specific trades. In 1909, workers showed solidarity with the Catalan Workers Central during the ‘Tragic Week’ events and the execution of anarchist Francisco Ferrer Guardia. Metallurgical, construction, and port workers participated in this act of solidarity. These social struggles represented the working class’s resistance to capital in the early 20th century and paved the way for the creation of a workers’ organization to unite the Asturian workers’ social struggle.
Formation of the Asturian Miners’ Union
The SOMA (Union of Workers and Miners of Asturias) was established in November 1910 after an intense propaganda campaign. It aimed to counter the combined actions of large employers like Duro Felguera, Fábrica de Mieres, and Hulleras Españolas. The Executive Committee was based in Mieres, with prominent leaders like Manuel Llaneza and Amador Fernández. In 1910, the Republican-Socialist Conjunction was formed with the participation of Melquiades Alvarez’s ‘reformists’.
Employers’ Association and Catholic Unions
The Employer Minera (Asturian Mining Employers Association) was founded in 1913. Under the influence of the Marquis de Comillas, the Catholic Miners’ Union of Asturias was established in 1912. Various workers’ actions, directed by the EMS, culminated in the great strikes of 1916 and 1917.
The General Strike of August 1917 was the peak of working-class discontent and involved a broad sector of the middle classes. It aimed to change government policy and was jointly sponsored by the UGT and CNT. The strike was so effective that newspapers were not published for 18 days. However, it also faced attacks and harsh repression against the labor movement.