STUDY Trade Unions in Transformation Uruguay: Building Trade Union Power ÁLVARO PADRÓN AND ACHIM WACHENDORFER November 2017 n Uruguayan trade unionism is currently experiencing a»golden era«. Under the Frente Amplio(FA) administration, which has been in power since 2005, trade unions have significantly increased their power resources and become a privileged and indispen­sable partner of the government. Their long-term strategic partnership has been mutually beneficial, since the FA needed the trade unions’ organizational capacity and mobilizing power to win parliamentary elections, and far-reaching positive labor reforms have been of high returns for the trade unions. This alliance has not created dependency or submission on either side, as becomes visible in the currently rising conflictivity. n Trade unionism in Uruguay is grounded on the traditions of a welfare state. In the past, unions have shown a strong commitment towards unification; high-resistance capacity; good organizational structures and high articulating capacities with other actors. The Inter-union Workers’ Plenary – National Workers Convention(PIT-CNT) has currently an affiliation rate of almost 40 percent, one of the highest rates in Latin America. n Still, pending items and outstanding debts are the scarce participation of women and youth at all power levels, as well as PIT-CNT’s involvement at the international level. The trade unions’ strength is also causing rejection in some sectors of society. Despite this criticism, trade unions have always been regarded as a legitimate actor in the country’s institutional framework. n Trade Unions in Transformation is an FES project that identifies unions’ power re­sources and capabilities that contribute to successful trade union action. This study features among two dozen case studies from around the world demonstrating how unions have transformed to get stronger.