(Labor conflicts on scale: an analysis of their features in intermediate cities based on the case of Tandil (2016-2020))

Abstract

The Social Sciences have extensively examined the dynamics of labour conflicts, primarily in large urban centres, where most protest events occur and are documented in statistical databases, often reflecting national trends. However, the dynamics of labour conflicts in smaller cities, which exhibit distinct traits of labour sociability, remain underexplored. This article aims to shed light on the general characteristics of labour conflicts in intermediate cities, focusing on Tandil as a case study for the period 2016–2020. Data from the Ministry of Labour, Employment, and Social Security (MTEySS) labour conflicts database are put in dialogue with qualitative sources, including interviews with union representatives and local media. A comparative analysis of statistical data on labour conflicts in Tandil with those at the national and provincial levels reveals more similarities than differences but highlights specific features, such as: a) a low incidence of street mobilizations; b) the predominance of the private sector, particularly the metallurgical industry, in layoffs-related protests; and c) the predominantly local scale of conflicts. These findings are explained by putting them in dialogue with the bibliography on cultural traits of intermediate cities and the qualitative sources surveyed, which warn, on the one hand, about the practices of social stigmatization in these urban environments towards those who participate in protests and, on the other, the central role the metallurgical sector assumes in mobilizations, fundamentally linked to its centrality in local historical identity.