Evening star., 1959-12-20
All the Officers Are
Voted Into Office


workers and other employees.
Eoch one belongs to the union
Of his respective trode. The
union for the formers is known
os the Formers Brotherhood,
"HERMANDADES," and the
union for the fishermen is
known as "COFRADIAS"
'(Brotherhoods), following on
oncient tradition. However. all
unions follow the some prin-
lcipIes and rules.
Eoch Union, national. pro-
Vinciol, or local, is composed
Of on economic board which
represents the employers, ond
O syndicol boord, representing
the workers and technicions.
The members Of the Boords
ore freely elected by the MEM
bers Of each Union. The 6oord
members freely elect their
presidents, their representatives
in O higher level, and the
Ieoders OF the Union-brietIy
oil their Ieoders. In order TO
be o condidote it is only re-
ouired to be nominated os q
condidote in advance in each
meeting. Directly and without
proclamation among the workers
themselves ore elected olso
the workers representatives, in
eoch enterprise, the so-colled
Is ,.4AicoI links" In loroe en-
terprises also exist the juries
whose labor and technical rep
resentotion is olso assured by
election. However, the employ
ers, technicions ond workers,
not only conduct the Unions
but through them participate
In the formulation Of the pol
icy and direction Of other in
sttutions Of social character
such os the National lnsur-
once Institute, Mutuol Bene-
fit funds; oIso in the govern
nent Of the country os in the
municipal councils, the porIlo-
nent (Cortes Esponolosl ond
the Privy Council tConseio del
Reinol At present, there ore
100000 workers who repre-
sent, in their own unions ond
IN the aforementioned oreons
Of the Stote, the Spanish labor
population.
More clearly it moy be
stoted thot the worker cleo
toroI corps is composed OF
S,37O.3lo individuals. Out Of
this number 3,97l,5l2 ore di-
rect voters and only ! ,349,8O4
preIiminoriIy elect SO, ,644 rep
resentotives, on electoral COL
leqe, for high officers. The Un-
ion representation in oil the
municipal councils Of the no.
ton and in Poricment (CortesI
thot is to soy, in the govern
ment Of the Spanish commu-
nifty, amounts to one-third OF
the totol membership. In eoch
municipal council, including oil
from the copitol Of the coun-
try to the smallest village, one
third Of the councillors is elected
by the workers. The some oP-
plies to PorIionent tCortes).
The election for municipal
councils constitutes one OF the
strongest electoral compoiens
OF the country. The share OF
the labor world in the study
and the resolution Of the
workers problems hos, through
the unions, other means to pre-
sent and solve each problem;
through the Assemblies No
tlonoles National Assemblies.
Conventions which compromise
O whole industry or branch
of production ore held; also
conventions Of economic chor-
octer and Of formers ond
workers. All these conventions
ore of greet significance in the
life Of the country.
In April Of 1859, O Social
Council OF the Union Of the
Spanish SyndicoI Organization
held O convention in Madrid.
More thon six hundred repre-
sentotives Of the workers took
port and several countries sent
observers. The ogendo Of the
convention included the enter
prise, employment and the SOL
cries, social security and rural
Iobor problems.
We shall point out thot, in
this lost Council, os we'll os in
oil the other conventions Of q
sociol character, the porticipo-
tion Of the workers wos not
only inportont in number, but
oIso in the preparation and
copocity they showed for foe
ing their problems and solving
them. This wos recognized by
the Leader Of the Sponish Un-
ions, Jose Soils Ruiz, when he
pointed out in his closing speech
how the Spanish Unions can
otter the country the largest
ond best prepored nucleus in
the economic and social fields
in its history. These nuclei ore
the Logical result Of the con-
tinuous experiences and strue-
giles thot constitute union life.
If it is true thot in the Spanish
unions, os in any other unions,
there are older, experienced
men, it is also true thot in
every syndicoI election. oppeor
younger men, new men, who
not only make their unions
stronger. but OF the same time,
increase the number Of workers
who desire to participate d.
rectIy in the government Of the
notion.
We connot give ony other
nome to these developments.
This greet democratic task per-
formed by the unions in O
country like Spoin, firmly de-
.termined TO ottino higher tech
nicoI, economic and social lev