Oil and violence in Arauca. Workers, armed conflict and repression (1983-2013)
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Universidad Industrial de Santander
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Objetivo: En este artículo reconstruimos una parte del devenir histórico de los trabajadores petroleros del departamento deArauca, ubicado en la Orinoquía colombiana, en los límites con el vecino país de Venezuela. Abordamos algunas trayectorias de vida de los miles de obreros que llegaron a la región llanera motivados por el hallazgo del campo petrolero de Caño Limón, en 1983. Analizamos sus condiciones de vida y de trabajo en el enclave que construyó la multinacional Occidental Petroleum Company, más conocida como la OXY. Haremos especial énfasis en las diversas formas de represión que han tenido que soportar los obreros petroleros, en un departamento que se ha convertido en laboratorio de guerra por varias décadas. Los trabajadores han quedado en medio del fuego cruzado de los diferentes actores armados que se disputan la región. Metodología: llevamos a cabo un trabajo de campo en la ciudad de Arauca, donde entrevistamos a trabajadores petroleros y consultamos los archivos ubicados en la subdirectiva del sindicato. Originalidad: la investigación histórica sobre los trabajadores y la violencia se ha centrado en las regiones Andina y Caribe, por lo que se hace necesario abordar otros territorios. Eso intentamos en esta pesquisa al estudiar a los obreros petroleros de esta zona llanera. Conclusiones: los trabajadores petroleros del departamento de Arauca fueron fundamentales para extraer las riquezas del subsuelo. Sin embargo, han padecido las inclemencias del conflicto armado al quedar inmersos en las dinámicas violentas de los grupos legales e ilegales que actúan en la región.
Objective: In this article we reconstructed a part of the historical evolution of the oil workers of the department of Arauca, locatedin the Colombian Orinoquía, on the border with the neighboring country of Venezuela. We addressed some of the life trajectories ofthe thousands of workers who arrived in the llanera region motivated by the discovery of the Caño Limón oil field in 1983. We analyzed their living and working conditions in the enclave built by the multinational Occidental Petroleum Company, more known as the OXY. We placed special emphasis on the various forms of repression that the oil workers have had to endure, in a department that has become a war laboratory for several decades. The workers have been left in the middle of the crossfire of the different armed actors that are fighting over the region. Methodology: We carried out field work in the city of Arauca where we interviewed oil workers and consulted the files located in the union sub directorate. Originality: Historical research on workers and violence has focused on the Andean and Caribbean regions, so it is necessary to address other territories. That is what we tried in this research by studying the oil workers of this plains area. Conclusions: The oil workers of the department of Arauca were essential to extract the riches from the subsoil. However, they have suffered the harshness of the armed conflict by being immersed in the violent dynamics of legal and illegal groups that operate in the region.
Objective: In this article we reconstructed a part of the historical evolution of the oil workers of the department of Arauca, locatedin the Colombian Orinoquía, on the border with the neighboring country of Venezuela. We addressed some of the life trajectories ofthe thousands of workers who arrived in the llanera region motivated by the discovery of the Caño Limón oil field in 1983. We analyzed their living and working conditions in the enclave built by the multinational Occidental Petroleum Company, more known as the OXY. We placed special emphasis on the various forms of repression that the oil workers have had to endure, in a department that has become a war laboratory for several decades. The workers have been left in the middle of the crossfire of the different armed actors that are fighting over the region. Methodology: We carried out field work in the city of Arauca where we interviewed oil workers and consulted the files located in the union sub directorate. Originality: Historical research on workers and violence has focused on the Andean and Caribbean regions, so it is necessary to address other territories. That is what we tried in this research by studying the oil workers of this plains area. Conclusions: The oil workers of the department of Arauca were essential to extract the riches from the subsoil. However, they have suffered the harshness of the armed conflict by being immersed in the violent dynamics of legal and illegal groups that operate in the region.
Keywords
Oil workers, Arauca department, enclave, Oxy, union, armed conflict, violence, USO, trabajadores petroleros, departamento de Arauca, enclave, Oxy, sindicato, conflicto armado, violencia, USO