The General Secretary or Secretary General of the Confederación Nacional del Trabajo is the head of the Confederación Nacional del Trabajo (National Confederation of Labour; CNT), a Spanish confederation of anarcho-syndicalist trade 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 General Secretary'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 general secretary 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 General General and National Committee during this period were based in Barcelona.

No.PortraitName(Birth–Death)Term of officeNotes 1 Josep Negre(1875–1939)November 1910September 1911September 19111914 During this period, the CNT was banned by the government and organised clandestinely. Duties as general secretary alternated between Josep Negre, Francisco Jordán and Francisco Miranda.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 General Secretary, while Francisco Miranda was imprisoned.(4)Francisco Miranda(1869–1950)December 1917July 19185Manuel Buenacasa(1886–1964)August 1918December 19186 Evelio Boal(1884–1921)January 1919December 1919As Provisional General Secretary.December 1919March 1921 ‡Murdered on 12 June 1921.7Andreu Nin(1892–1937)March 1921May 19218Joaquim Maurín(1896–1950)August 1921February 1922 ‡9Joan Peiró(1887–1942)May 1922June 1922 10Salvador Seguí(1887–1923)11 June 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 Gracia GalánApril 19242 June 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 general secretary at this time is unknown. 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 192917Ángel Pestaña(1886–1937)June 1929June 193018Progreso Alfarache(1888–1964)27 June 193027 September 1930 ‡19Francesc ArínOctober 1930December 1930Serving as Interim General Secretary.December 1930December 1931The Second Spanish Republic was established during this period.20(17)Ángel Pestaña(1886–1937)December 1931March 193221Manuel RivasMarch 1932January 1933 ‡Imprisoned following the anarchist insurrection of January 1933.22Miguel Yoldi(1903–1961)December 1933February 1935Headquartered in Zaragoza.23Horacio Prieto(1902–1985)March 1935May 1936Headquartered in Zaragoza. Provisionally replaced at the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War.–(1904–1945)18 July 1936September 1936Provisional General Secretary during the early months of the Spanish Civil War.(23)Horacio Prieto(1902–1985)September 193618 November 1936Re-election confirmed by national plenum on 4 August 1936.24Mariano Vázquez(1909–1939)18 November 1936February 1939 Headquarters 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 Esteve Pallarols April 1939 November 1939 January 1940 July 1940 July 1940 February 1941 December 1942 August 1943 September 1943 September 1944 September 1944 March 1945 Ramón Rufat Llop April 1945 July 1945 July 1945 October 1945 November 1945 March 1946 Lorenzo Íñigo Granizo March 1946 April 1946 May 1946 April 1947 Antonio Ejarque Pina May 1947 August 1947 August 1947 November 1947 April 1948 July 1949 July 1949 June 1951 Cipriano Damiano June 1951 June 1953 Ismael Rodríguez Ajax October 1960 October 1961 April 1962 February 1964 Cipriano Damiano April 1964 April 1965 May 1965 September 1968

In exile

Name Election date Agency Town Mariano Rodríguez Vázquez 1 25 February 1939 General Council of the MLE Paris June 1943 National Plenary (confederal) Mauriac Juan Manuel Molina Mateo September 1943 National Plenary (confederal) Tourniac Francisco Careño March 1944 National Plenary (confederal) Muret Juan Manuel Molina Mateo October 1944 National Plenary (confederal) Toulouse Germinal Esgleas Jaume May 1945 Paris Congress Paris

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

Orthodox faction

Name Election date Agency Town Germinal Esgleas Jaume - - - Germinal Esgleas Jaume August 1946 Toulouse Josep Peirats October 1947 Congress of Local Federations Toulouse Pedro Herrera Camarero April 1947 I Intercontinental Conference - Emilio Julio González October 1948 1 Congress of Local Federations - Luis Blanco February 1949 II Intercontinental Conference Toulouse Josep Peirats May 1950 I National Plenary (confederal) Toulouse Martín Villarupia April 1951 II Intercontinental Plenary Toulouse Germinal Esgleas Jaume July 1952 III Intercontinental Plenary Aymare Germinal Esgleas Jaume July 1953 IV Intercontinental Plenary Session Toulouse Germinal Esgleas Jaume August 1954 5th Intercontinental Plenary Toulouse Germinal Esgleas Jaume August 1955 VI Intercontinental Plenary Session Toulouse Germinal Esgleas Jaume July 1956 VII Intercontinental Plenary Session Toulouse Germinal Esgleas Jaume 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 Ramón Álvarez Palomo November 1945 Plenary of Regionals of Origin Toulouse Ramón Álvarez Palomo August 1946 Plenary Toulouse José Juan Domenech December 1947 I National Plenary (confederal) of Regionals Toulouse José Juan Domenech May 1948 Plenary - José Juan Domenech 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 The reunification of the CNT was ratified by a congress in Caracas, Venezuela, on 18 December 1960.

Name Election date Agency Town August 1961 Congress of Local Federations Limoges August 1962 Intercontinental Plenary Toulouse Germinal Esgleas Jaume October 1963 Congress of Local Federations Toulouse Germinal Esgleas Jaume August 1965 Congress of Local Federations Montpellier August 1967 Intercontinental Plenary Marseille Germinal Esgleas Jaume August 1969 Intercontinental Plenary Bordeaux Germinal Esgleas Jaume 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 Enric Marco April 1978 December 1979 Barcelona José Bondía December 1979 January 1983 Madrid Antonio Pérez Canales January 1983 - - Fernando Montero July 1983 - - 1985 - - March of 1986 1990 Granada Vicente Vilanova 1990 - Valencia José Ros November 1992 - Barcelona May 1995 December 1995 Granada December 1995 February 1998 Madrid Luis Fuentes December 1998 October 2000 Bilbao Ana Sigüenza October 2000 March 2003 Madrid April 2003 July 2005 Vitoria-Gasteiz Rafael Corrales Valverde July 2005 August 2007 Seville Fidel Manrique August 2007 December 2010 Torrelavega Alfonso Álvarez December 2010 April 2013 Córdoba Pedro Serna April 2013 April 2015 Valladolid April 2015 July 2017 Santiago de Compostela Enrique Hoz 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 January 2024 present Granollers

References

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Further reading