Syndical Federation of Bolivian Mineworkers

The union emerged in the wake of a violent clash between government troops and striking tin miners in Oruro and Potosí in 1942.

The MNR's position was defeated in 1946 when the FSTMB adopted the "Pulacayo Thesis," which called for a workers' revolution and other radical goals.

The FSTMB faced renewed government suppression following a series of strikes in 1949, forcing Lechín and other union leaders into exile.

Following the revolution, the FSTMB became the main component of the Bolivian Workers' Center (COB), a new umbrella organization for all labor unions.

The FSTMB and the COB often faced harsh government repression, most notably under the regimes of Colonel Hugo Banzer (1971–78) and General Luis García Meza (1980–81).

The MNR-led government of Víctor Paz Estenssoro conceded to an economic restructuring plan set forward by the International Monetary Fund and World Bank.

The current Executive Secretary of the FSTMB is Miguel Zubieta Miranda, who previously led the union's local in Huanuni.