By Eduardo González VlOn February 24, 2021, SITIMM and General Secretary Alejandro Rangel Segovia took part digitally in the celebration of the CTM's 85th Anniversary, held during its 138th Ordinary General Assembly and led by Senator Carlos Aceves del Olmo.
_Held within the framework of its 138th Ordinary General Assembly._
On Wednesday, February 24, the **85th Anniversary of the Confederación de Trabajadores de México (CTM)** — considered the largest labor confederation in the country and led by Senator Don **Carlos Aceves del Olmo** — was celebrated digitally and remotely.
The Sindicato de Trabajadores de la Industria Metal, Mecánica, Automotriz (SITIMM) and its General Secretary, **Alejandro Rangel Segovia**, took part in this celebration through small delegations of union representatives connected from their different service offices located in Irapuato, Silao, Villagrán and Celaya.
Throughout the event, various figures from the political and union worlds sent warm greetings and congratulations to the CTM and its National Leader. Among them were the President of the Republic, **Andrés Manuel López Obrador**; the Secretary of the Interior, **Olga Sánchez Cordero**; the Secretary of Labor and Social Welfare, **Luisa María Alcalde**; the Director of the Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, **Zoé Robledo**; and the President of the Consejo Coordinador Empresarial, **Carlos Salazar**.
Don Carlos Aceves del Olmo thanked the authorities and public figures for the video messages addressed to the Confederation. He also recognized the work that institutions such as INFONAVIT, IMSS and CONSAR have carried out on behalf of workers across the country.
He recalled his start in working life at the age of 14, as an operator at the General Motors Company, until reaching his current position as General Secretary of the Confederation, after **66 years of work**. _“I believe that every day we do something at CTM in favor of the great map of the labor movement in Mexico”_, he stated. Regarding the processes of Legitimization of Collective Bargaining Agreements at workplaces, he mentioned that many processes have already been concluded successfully (SITIMM has legitimized **49 contracts** with an average approval of **90%**), which translates into trust among workers.
The broadcast of the Anniversary celebration was followed by broadcasts of the Women's Event and the Youth Event, recognizing the importance of these groups within the labor force.
After the Mexican Revolution, broad sectors of the population joined the country's sociopolitical and economic life with the aim of strengthening workers. At that time, President **Lázaro Cárdenas** raised workers' awareness of their importance as agents of social change.
The culminating point of that process was the creation of the Confederation on **February 24, 1936**, a historic moment that synthesized the effort of the national working class, forming an organization capable of fighting for the society to which working women and men aspire.
Throughout this CTM history, between **1936 and 1950**, the **32 state and regional federations** emerged across the country, along with hundreds of national and industrial unions. Today it can be affirmed that many congresses have been held in the country's union life; but none has surely been as decisive in the historical course of the labor movement as the one that gave rise to the CTM.
