Meat Industry Workers Federation
| Full name | Meat Industry Workers Federation |
|---|---|
| Native name | Federación Obrera de la Industria de la Carne |
| Date dissolved | May 12, 1945 |
| Key people | José Peter |
| Country | Argentina |
The Meat Industry Workers Federation (in Spanish: Federación Obrera de la Industria de la Carne, abbreviated FOIC) was a trade union of meat workers in Argentina. The union was founded in the early 1930s. FOIC was led by the Communist Party of Argentina. José Peter was the general secretary of FOIC.
FIOC led a major strike in the Argentinian meat-packing industry in 1932. The strike began on May 20, 1932, and followed strikes in the tram workers' and farmers' strikes in March and April the same year. Although it only lasted for less than two weeks, it was the largest strike in the country since 1917-1918. The union shut down the largest meat-packing plant in the world, Anglo Frigorífico in Avellaneda. The strike spread to other meat-packing plants in Avellaneda and some workers also joined it in Berisso.
In preparations for the strike, the communists were able to benefit from their experiences with clandestine activism. As they were unable to hold large public meetings, they contacted workers and held small clandestine meetings with them. The meetings were camouflaged as picnics, festivals or other social gatherings.
At Anglo Frigorífico, 4,000 workers joined the strike. Around 3,000 workers participated in the daily mass meetings organized by FOIC and CUSC at Anglo Frigorífico. On May 21, 1931 FOIC mobilized a mass meeting at another meat-packing plant, La Blanca, with 2,500 participants. Violence erupted during the strike, and the Communist Party issued a call for workers' self-defense. On May 22, 1932, a meeting was held in Salon Verdi in La Boca. During this meeting, Peter called for continuation of the strike and condemned CGT and FORA for not having joined the strike.
However, the strike resulted in a failure for FOIC. The strike was met with repression, striking workers were assaulted by police forces. Police raided the FOIC headquarters and shut it down. In the industries, strikebreakers were brought in to substitute striking workers.
FOIC published El Obrero del Frigorífico.
Following the 1932 strike, FOIC readjusted some of its policies. It began to recognize the increasing importance of women workers in the meat-packing industries, and began to raise the demand for 'equal pay for equal work'. Moreover, with the emergence of Taylorist practices in the meat industry since the 1920s, FOIC demanded an end to piecework and premium system.
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