Córdoba oil workers build community support network
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In 1946, 30 workers in Córdoba, Argentina, formed the SinPeCor union to advocate for their rights and improve family life. Over the past 80 years, SinPeCor grew to represent 9,000 workers in fuel-related industries throughout Córdoba province.
The union expanded beyond traditional representation, offering services like healthcare through OSPeCor, which now covers over 8,000 families, and educational opportunities via BAC.
Under the leadership of Jorge Sandino Borelli and later his son Guillermo Borelli, SinPeCor prioritized worker independence from political parties and employers. The union invested in social programs including affordable food and cleaning supplies, housing assistance, social tourism to over 15 destinations, and a retirement center supporting 480 people with monthly contributions from current workers.
SinPeCor also built a substantial asset base with properties like the Hotel de la Cañada and Nuestras Raíces social center, and it created its own media channels for communication and research. The union established Deseo Argentina en Paz to extend its solidarity principles to vulnerable populations.
In 2023, Argentina’s Supreme Court affirmed SinPeCor’s long-held legal standing after a dispute with the Ministry of Labor, prompting the union to form Creemos, a political party, to advocate for workers’ interests in public life.
