The CIS definest itself as "an Asturian working class union" and has a strong presence and representation in the naval and metallurgical sectors.
The CSI has also achieved representation in the labour councils of civil services, media and education, among other sectors.
The CSI defends a "combative" model of unionism, and is opposed to the negotiation strategy of Comisiones Obreras and the Unión General de Trabajadores.
[1] CSI played an important role in the labor demands of the workers of the naval and metallurgical sectors, especially in Xixón and Avilés.
Its leaders Cándido González Carnero and Juan Manuel Martínez Morala were sentenced to three years in prison for a crime of damages occurred during a strike of Naval Gijón, facts that were denounced by the city of Xixón, chaired by the mayor of the PSOE Paz Fernández Felgueroso.