Between state abandonment and organized crime: Collective action of the transport sector in response to extortion and contract killings in Peru

Abstract

This essay examines the collective action of transport workers during the national strikes of May and This essay analyzes the collective action of transport workers during the national strikes of May and June 2025 in Peru, with particular emphasis on the country’s capital, as an expression of rejection of the state’s inefficient response to the increase in extortion and murders perpetrated by criminal organizations against operators in the transport sector, under the modality of “cobro de cupo” (extortion payments). By integrating the theories of Charles Tilly, Sidney Tarrow, and Doug McAdam on social mobilizations and collective action, together with the urban governance and governability approach, the study examines the protests as drivers of state response.
The organizational capacity of transport collectives and unions is examined, as evidenced in the coordination of mobilizations, provision of legal advice, and leadership, which channeled discontent into structured demands. The social and economic pressure of road blockades led the central government to implement protective measures for workers in this sector, resulting in the suspension of the strike. However, these measures neither halted the advance of criminal activity nor addressed the root of the problem.
It is concluded that, in the face of the crisis generated by organized crime in the country, transport collectives deployed organized mobilizations denouncing extortion; moreover, the limited state capacity and deficient urban governance became evident, eroding citizens’ trust in state institutions. Finally, the essay calls on the academic community to deepen studies on the organized responses of the transport sector to the advance of criminal activities in contexts of political and social instability.