Juan Castillo (Uruguayan politician)
Juan Castillo | |
|---|---|
Castillo in 2025 | |
| Minister of Labour and Social Welfare | |
| Assumed office 1 March 2025 | |
| President | Yamandu Orsi |
| Preceded by | Mario Arizti |
| Senator of Uruguay | |
| In office 14 December 2017 – 14 February 2020 | |
| Preceded by | Marcos Carámbula |
| Succeeded by | Oscar Andrade |
| Secretary General of the Communist Party of Uruguay | |
| In office 18 June 2017 – 21 December 2025 | |
| Preceded by | Eduardo Lorier |
| Succeeded by | Óscar Andrade |
| National Director of Labour | |
| In office 1 March 2015 – 20 June 2017 | |
| President | Tabaré Vázquez |
| Succeeded by | Jorge Mesa |
| Vice President of the Broad Front | |
| In office 30 June 2012 – 1 March 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Position Established |
| Succeeded by | Blanca Elgart (PS), Sandra Lazo (MPP), José Carlos Mahía (AU) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 29 November 1957 |
| Party | Communist Party of Uruguay, Broad Front |
| Children | 3 |
| Occupation | Politician, trade unionist, maritime worker |
Juan Alberto Castillo (born 27 November 1957) is a Uruguayan trade unionist, maritime worker, and politician who has served as the Minister of Labour and Social Welfare since March 2025, in the cabinet of President Yamandú Orsi.
A longtime leader within the Uruguayan labour movement, Castillo began his career as a dredging operator in the Port of Montevideo and rose to become a key figure in the country's main trade union federation, the PIT-CNT, serving as its General Coordinator for over a decade.
Castillo served as the Secretary General of the Communist Party of Uruguay from 2017 until 2025 and was a Senator of the Republic from 2017 to 2020. He previously held the position of National Director of Labour under President Tabaré Vázquez and was one of the vice presidents of the Broad Front coalition. His political career has been defined and his influence within both the Communist Party and the Uruguayan labour movement.
During his tenure as Minister, Castillo has focused on mediating between trade unions and the government, reducing informal labour, strengthening collective bargaining, and addressing workplace accidents. Ideologically a Marxist-Leninist, he has also supported proposals for a wealth tax to fund social programs and has advocated for advance notice of corporate restructurings to protect domestic jobs.