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Summary

In 1987, workers at the Lunafil thread factory in Amatitlan, Guatemala, occupied their workplace for 410 days to resist management’s demand for a seven-day work week without overtime pay. Despite threats, arrests, and violence, the strikers maintained their occupation with support from national and international unions and Peace Brigades International. The campaign succeeded in preserving the five-day work week and the union contract, though not all workers were rehired and the union was isolated afterward.

Background

The Lunafil thread factory in Amatitlan, Guatemala, employed workers who spun cotton into thread for export. After upgrading machinery, management demanded that workers add mandatory twelve-hour Saturday and Sunday shifts without overtime pay, effectively imposing a seven-day work week. The union, SITRALU, refused and decided to strike and occupy the factory compound to preserve the five-day work week and their contract.

What happened

On June 9, 1987, 91 workers occupied the Lunafil factory compound after management demanded a seven-day work week without overtime pay [source: nv-database]. On June 21, two union leaders were arrested while distributing leaflets but were released after pressure from local and international unions [source: nv-database]. On July 7, management locked the gates and stationed armed guards, giving workers an ultimatum to leave or face replacement; most workers remained [source: nv-database]. The strikers built temporary shelter inside the compound, arranged for food and water to be passed over the fence, and maintained a 24-hour presence outside with a plastic-and-wood shelter on the sidewalk, where union leaders and Peace Brigades International members slept [source: nv-database]. International support came from the AFL-CIO, U.S. [source: nv-database] unions, and unions from Germany, Spain, France, and Belgium [source: nv-database]. By November 1987, only 39 workers remained, but they continued the occupation [source: nv-database]. In May 1988, the outside shelter was attacked and demolished, and shots and tear gas were fired into the compound [source: nv-database]. On several occasions, semi-trailers attempted to remove cotton; workers and family members blocked the gates by sitting on the road, and media and international observers helped deter the trucks twice, though on a third occasion police intimidation allowed the cotton to be removed [source: nv-database]. An accord was signed on July 20, 1988, agreeing to reinstate the 24 union workers still occupying the plant and respect their contract, but the workers did not return until October 3 after further pressure to ensure full compliance [source: nv-database].

Key people & organizations

  • Julio Coq
  • Felix Gonzalez
  • José Eusebio Gil Zúñiga
  • Baltazar Tojes
  • Guillermo Calito
  • Alberto Quezada
  • Tomas Jolón Mijangos
  • UNSITRAGUA
  • CUSG
  • CGTG
  • Peace Brigades International
  • GLEP
  • AFL/CIO
  • CAW
  • ACTWU
  • ILGWU 23-25
  • UE
  • District 65/UAW
  • SEIU
  • Teamsters
  • UAW
  • RWDSU
  • Paperworkers
  • Eli Garsuze
  • Ronald Werner Knoke

Tactics used

The workers combined a sustained factory occupation with a strike, public demonstrations, and leafleting, while building a broad coalition of national and international labor allies and using protective accompaniment from Peace Brigades International to deter violence. This multi-pronged approach maintained pressure on management and provided security for the strikers. [source: nv-database]

Outcome

Verdict: won.

The campaign achieved its primary goal: management agreed to reinstate the union workers and respect the five-day work week without overtime pay. However, the outcome was mixed because not all striking workers were rehired (the union decided who returned, and others received severance), the union was isolated from new workers hired under different conditions, and the number of occupiers dwindled from 91 to 39 over 13 months. [source: nv-database]

Lessons

  • Sustained nonviolent occupation can succeed even under threat of violence when combined with international accompaniment and solidarity.
  • Building alliances with national and international unions amplifies pressure on management and provides crucial resources and legitimacy.
  • Creative adaptations, such as family members blocking trucks and caring for children across the fence, can sustain a long-term struggle and maintain community involvement.

Sources

Disclaimer: Included as a teaching example of campaign craft, not as endorsement.

Sources & verification

  • nv-database — grounding: primary — license: link-only
  • Rewritten: 2026-06-25 via worker_casestudies_v2.py

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