Secretary General of the Confederación Nacional del Trabajo explained

The Secretary General of the Confederación Nacional del Trabajo is the head of the Confederación Nacional del Trabajo (National Confederation of Labor; CNT), a Spanish confederation of anarcho-syndicalist labor unions. The position is elected by a congress or plenary session of the confederation. The position's powers are limited to technical and administrative affairs.

Since the confederation does not have fixed headquarters, the elected Secretary General's local federation becomes the confederation's central operations and a local plenary session of the local federation chooses the secretariats for other leadership positions. Together they are known as the Secretariado Permanente del Comité Confederal (Permanent Secretariat of the Confederal Committee, or SPCC). They, together with other regional federation's secretaries general, form the full Confederal Committee. The first general secretary of the CNT, chosen at its 1910 constitutional congress, was José Negre. He had been secretary general of Solidaridad Obrera, a Catalan union and precursor to the CNT. Thus Barcelona was the first headquarters.

The CNT operated clandestinely during years of repression and splintered. Sources support several timelines of CNT Secretaries General during this time.

Through the Civil War (1910–1939)

Unless specified otherwise, the Headquarters of the CNT's Secretary General and National Committee during this period were based in Barcelona.

No.PortraitName
(Birth–Death)
Term of officeNotes
1Josep Negre
(1875–1939)
November 1910September 1911
September 19111914During this period, the CNT was banned by the government and organised clandestinely.
2Manuel Andreu
(1889–1968)
November 1915August 1916Legal restrictions against the CNT were lifted and it resumed public activity in 1915.
3Francisco Jordán
(1886–1921)
August 1916February 1917
4Francisco Miranda
(1869–1950)
March 1917August 1917
Manuel Buenacasa
(1886–1964)
August 1917November 1917Interim Secretary General, while Francisco Miranda was imprisoned.
(4)Francisco Miranda
(1869–1950)
December 1917July 1918
5Manuel Buenacasa
(1886–1964)
August 1918December 1918
6Evelio Boal
(1884–1921)
January 1919December 1919As Provisional Secretary General.
December 1919March 1921 Killed in June 1921.
7Andreu Nin
(1892–1937)
March 1921May 1921
8Joaquim Maurín
(1896–1950)
August 1921February 1922
9Joan Peiró
(1887–1942)
May 1922December 1922 <-- Christie says until July 1923 -->
10Salvador Seguí
(1887–1923)
December 192210 March 1923 Assassinated by pistoleros.
11Manuel Adame
(1901–1945)
July 192316 August 1923
12Paulino Díez
(1892–1980)
August 192325 December 1923 Headquartered in Seville.
13José Gracian GalánApril 1924June 1924 Headquartered in Zaragoza.
UnknownJune 1924September 1925During this period, the CNT was outlawed by the Dictatorship of Primo de Rivera and carried out its activities clandestinely. The identity of the secretary general at this time is unknown. <-- Speculated to have been Ángel Pestaña.-->
14Avelino González
(1894–1938)
September 1925June 1926Headquartered in Gijón.
15Segundo Blanco
(1899–1957)
July 1926November 1926Headquartered in Gijón.
16
(9)
Joan Peiró
(1887–1942)
January 1927May 1929
17Ángel Pestaña
(1886–1937)
June 1929June 1930
18Progreso Alfarache
(1888–1964)
27 June 193027 September 1930
19Francesc ArínOctober 1930December 1930Serving as Interim Secretary General.
December 1930December 1931The Second Spanish Republic was established during this period.
20
(17)
Ángel Pestaña
(1886–1937)
December 1931March 1932
2119 March 1932January 1933
22Miguel Yoldi
(1903–1961)
December 1933February 1935
23Horacio Prieto
(1902–1985)
March 193518 July 1936Headquartered in Zaragoza. Provisionally replaced following the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War.

(1904–1945)
18 July 1936September 1936Provisional Secretary General during the early months of the Spanish Civil War.
(23)Horacio Prieto
(1902–1985)
September 1936November 1936
24Mariano Vázquez
(1909–1939)
November 1936February 1939Headquarters transferred from Barcelona, to Madrid and then Valencia. Term ended by the conclusion of the Catalonia Offensive. Died in Paris in June 1939.

During Franco (1939–1976)

During this period, the CNT worked clandestinely both inside Spain and in French exile. A schism among the exiles created two confederal committees with their own corresponding secretaries general.

In Spain

Name Took office Left office
April 1939 November 1939
January 1940 July 1940
July 1940 February 1941
December 1942 August 1943
September 1943 September 1944
September 1944 March 1945
April 1945 July 1945
July 1945 October 1945
November 1945 March 1946
March 1946 April 1946
May 1946 April 1947
May 1947 August 1947
August 1947 November 1947
April 1948 July 1949
July 1949 June 1951
June 1951 June 1953
October 1960 October 1961
April 1962 February 1964
April 1964 April 1965
May 1965 September 1968

In exile

Name Election date Agency Town
Mariano Rodríguez Vázquez 1 February 25, 1939 Paris
June 1943 National Plenary (confederal) Mauriac
September 1943 National Plenary (confederal) Tourniac
March 1944 National Plenary (confederal) Muret
October 1944 National Plenary (confederal) Toulouse
May 1945 Paris Congress Paris

1. After his death, Germinal Esgleas Jaume took over.

Orthodox faction

Name Election date Agency Town
- - -
August 1946 National Plenary (confederal) of Regionals Toulouse
October 1947 Congress of Local Federations Toulouse
April 1947 I Intercontinental Conference -
October 1948 1 Congress of Local Federations -
February 1949 II Intercontinental Conference Toulouse
May 1950 I National Plenary (confederal) Toulouse
April 1951 II Intercontinental Plenary Toulouse
July 1952 III Intercontinental Plenary Aymare
July 1953 IV Intercontinental Plenary Session Toulouse
August 1954 5th Intercontinental Plenary Toulouse
August 1955 VI Intercontinental Plenary Session Toulouse
July 1956 VII Intercontinental Plenary Session Toulouse
August 1957 VIII Intercontinental Plenary Session Toulouse
August 1958 IX Intercontinental Plenary Toulouse
September 1959 X Intercontinental Plenary Vierzon
August 1960 Congress of Local Federations Limoges

1.He resigned in December 1948.

Possibilist faction

Name Election date Agency Town
November 1945 Plenary of Regionals of Origin Toulouse
August 1946 Plenary Toulouse
December 1947 I National Plenary (confederal) of Regionals Toulouse
May 1948 Plenary -
February 1949 II National Plenary (confederal) -
June 1950 III National Plenary (confederal) -
June 1952 IV National Plenary (confederal) -
March 1954 V National Plenary (confederal) -
November 1955 VI National Plenary (confederal) -
August 1957 VII National Plenary (confederal) -
October 1958 VIII National Plenary (confederal) -
March 1960 IX National Plenary (confederal) Clermont Ferrand

Reunification of exiled factions

Name Election date Agency Town
August 1961 Congress of Local Federations Limoges
August 1962 Intercontinental Plenary Toulouse
October 1963 Congress of Local Federations Toulouse
August 1965 Congress of Local Federations Montpellier
August 1967 Intercontinental Plenary Marseille
August 1969 Intercontinental Plenary Bordeaux
August 1971 Intercontinental Plenary Session Marseille
1 August 1973 Intercontinental Plenary Session Marseille
August 1975 Congress of Local Federations Marseille

1. He resigned in January 1975.

Since the transition to democracy (1976–present)

Name Took office Left office Headquarters
August 1976 April 1978 Madrid
April 1978 December 1979 Barcelona
December 1979 January 1983 Madrid
January 1983 - -
July 1983 - -
1985 - -
March of 1986 1990 Granada
1990 - Valencia
November 1992 - Barcelona
May 1995 December 1995 Granada
December 1995 February 1998 Madrid
December 1998 October 2000 Bilbao
October 2000 March 2003 Madrid
April 2003 July 2005 Vitoria-Gasteiz
July 2005 August 2007 Seville
August 2007 December 2010 Torrelavega
December 2010 April 2013 Córdoba
April 2013 April 2015 Valladolid
April 2015 July 2017 Santiago de Compostela
July 2017 2019 Bilbao
Miguel García Romero 2019 November 2021 Lebrija
Isabel Arenales November 2021 December 2021 Valladolid
December 2021 January 2024 Madrid
Erika Conrado Arredondo January 2024 present Granollers

Bibliography