Unai Sordo: Union leader turns novelist to explore labor exploitation

Unai Sordo, the general secretary of Spain's Comisiones Obreras (CCOO) union, has published a novel that centers on worker exploitation in logistics centers and lives shattered by asbestos exposure. Titled "Al norte" (Hoja de Lata, 2026), the book is built from short texts that form a cohesive narrative. Sordo, who writes during summer breaks, connects his work to the proletarian novel tradition of the 1930s, citing César M. Arconada. The novel places labor at the heart of the story, challenging the common literary trope where work is secondary and plots begin after returning home. Sordo's literary output also includes a collection of short stories.