Track and Works laborers on the railways of Argentina at the beginning of the 20th century. Work conditions, experiences and daily life in the camp

Abstract

In Argentina, at the beginning of the 20th century, railroads employed a large number of workers of various trades, qualifications, ages and nationalities who worked at the different departments in which the railway companies were organized. Although the number of studies dedicated to the railway work world has grown in recent years, more is known about the workers of the locomotives or workshops than about those who earned a living working in stations, trains, signal posts, barriers and road navies. In this article the focus is on the so-called “Track and Works” laborers, who were in charge of the installation, maintenance and repair of rails, bridges, signals and other railway constructions. Its objective is to study both the relations and the working conditions on the roads, as well as the claims, conflicts and solidarity networks forged by the men who were part of the crews. It is specifically interested in unraveling the dynamics of the work world on railways, paying attention to the ways in which workers lived the experience of exploitation and daily coexistence in the camps, recognizing themselves as part of a common collective.