Abstract

BELMONT CORTES, Edgar. Context and Structure: The Limits of the Frame of Action for Energy Workers at SME. Nueva antropol [online]. 2006, vol.20, n.66, pp.110-131. ISSN 0185-0636.

Analyzing the process through which actions are defined and decided within the frames of collective action and, therefore, union discourse, allows us to identify two turning points in the strategic orientation of the Sindicato Mexicano de Electricistas. In both stages, "politic alliance" and "politic confrontation", the protagonic role of the union leadership is visible while the negotiation space continues to be the political space. However, insuring the modernization of the energy sector and of the company, Luz y Fuerza del Centro, implies not only the construction of socio-political agreements, but also the construction of compromise within the company. In this sense, the participation of department representatives and of the workers, and the ensuing decentralization of collective bargaining is a central topic in the restructuring of the energy sector and the likely beginning of a new stage which hasn't yet taken shape.

Keywords : Compañía de Luz y Fuerza; energy workers; decentralization; labor bargaining.