The city of Cochabamba became the epicentre of a key political and trade union deliberation on the present and future of Bolivia’s forestry sector. The international meeting “Strengthening Decent Work in the Wood and Forestry Industry in Bolivia”, organised by the Building and Wood Workers’ International (BWI) and the General Confederation of Factory Workers of Bolivia (CGTFB), with the support of the Swedish union GS Facket, demonstrated that the challenges facing the wood and forestry sector cannot be analysed in isolation. They form part of a broader political discourse about Bolivia’s development model, social justice, and environmental sustainability in the Amazon region.

Formalisation vs informality: Decent work

Bolivia faces high levels of informality in the wood industry. More than 80 percent of production is concentrated in community-based operators and small-scale production schemes where traditional labour relations, mediated by collective bargaining, virtually do not exist. This has led to historic trade union exclusion and weak protection of workers’ rights. The Cochabamba meeting addressed this challenge by placing at its centre the need for a national trade union action plan linking labour formalisation, decent working conditions, and environmental sustainability. The goal is to break with decades of precariousness and open spaces for social dialogue in a sector that is strategic both for the Bolivian economy and for the protection of the Amazon.

Trade union unity and political influence

The diverse participation of trade unions, government, and international actors, including the ILO, FSC Bolivia, and the Ministry of Labour, highlighted that addressing the challenges of the sector requires political will and multilateral coordination. Interventions from national and international union leaders made it clear that the labour movement must play an active role not only in defending workers’ rights but also in shaping public policies for a just transition and a green economy. The voices of leaders such as Mario Segundo Quispe and Limberth Fernández (CGTFB), Tonny Berggren (GS Facket), and Nilton Freitas (BWI) emphasised the urgency of ensuring that workers are not seen as passive victims of an extractive model, but as protagonists of a new economic direction.

The Amazon Trade Union Network: Regional integration

One of the most significant achievements of the meeting was the formal incorporation of the CGTFB into BWI’s Amazon Trade Union Network, a platform that links unions from Suriname, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Brazil. This move places Bolivia at the heart of the regional strategy for defending the Amazon from a trade union perspective.

Trade unionism as a social oversight actor

As part of the event, the international delegation accompanied a labour inspection at a wood company in Cochabamba to better understand certified wood management within the chain of custody. This exercise highlighted a key principle: trade unions not only debate policies but also confront the concrete realities of industrial management and value chains.

Towards Green and class-conscious unionism

The Cochabamba meeting marked a turning point in the agenda of Bolivia’s trade union movement in the wood and forestry sector, culminating in an action plan that envisions a stronger, greener labour movement capable of influencing both national and international agendas. Defending decent work in Bolivia’s forestry industry means, at the same time, defending labour rights, productive sovereignty, environmental justice, and the future of the Amazon. As Tonny Berggren of Sweden’s GS Facket put it: “To be able to see with our own eyes how strong and committed the CGTFB is fills me with confidence for the future. Our event in Bolivia was a great success for us — in the way we were able to integrate the union, in how they participated, and in the wide range of people who were present.”