As head of one of the most powerful syndicates in the country, Montes collaborated closely with the socialist administration of President Evo Morales, whose government took a more cooperative approach towards organized labor.

Although this alliance bore fruit in the form of concessions towards workers, Montes also drew criticism for being too appeasing towards the government, and he is cited as having significantly contributed to his organization's gradual co-option into Morales's party, the Movement for Socialism.

Pedro Montes was born on 14 April 1960 in Catavi,[1] a small mining community nestled in the rural foothills of Llallagua, part of the Bustillo Province of northern Potosí.

[4][5] His entrance into the sector began at a time of effervescence for the mining proletariat, hot off the successful fight for the recovery of Bolivian democracy, in which the labor movement was one of the main protagonists.

[4][7] During this time, he was thrice expelled from the state-owned Bolivian Mining Corporation, only gaining back membership through his personal relations with influential figures such as Oscar Salas.

[5] Although Montes was adamant in his assertion that the COB would maintain its political independence from the government,[5] his tenure nonetheless saw the organization grow far closer to it than it had under previous leaders.

[13] In part, this burgeoning alliance had less to do with Montes and more with Morales, whose administration struck a markedly more conciliatory cord with the COB, which contrasted with the adversarial position taken by the liberal governments that preceded him.

[14] Even then, the protest collapsed after Montes reached an agreement with the government, which left intact the previously announced salary hike in exchange for lowering the retirement age for miners.

[17] Some called for his removal;[18] María Elena Soria of the La Paz Federation of Urban Teachers declared that Montes had "sold himself body and soul to the ruling party.

"[19] More importantly, Montes's deal fomented dissent within the COB's leadership, with his own second-in-command, General Secretary Felipe Machaca, expressing opposition to it.

[28] When the COB did finally convene in early 2012, Montes sought a second term but was unexpectedly defeated by Juan Carlos Trujillo, putting an end to his tenure as the organization's executive secretary.

[34][35] Montes's year-long tenure centered around the campaign for the 2014 general election, during which time the COB and its member organizations actively debated whether to contest the race independently or support Morales's reelection bid.

[37] In January, Huanuni's mineworkers signed their own alliance with the MAS,[38] for which Montes was incorporated onto the party's list as a candidate for a seat in the Senate in representation of Oruro.

[47] Amid internal discontent over Senate President Eva Copa's more conciliatory stance towards the interim government of Jeanine Áñez, some MAS partisans put forward Montes as a viable replacement, given his closer relations with Morales.