In the 2000s an unprecedented wave of left-party victories in presidential elections swept across Latin
America. Although scholars have studied variation among left regimes and how these regimes differ from
neoliberal-era predecessors, few have addressed the role of labour unions and labour policy under the Left. We
argue that ‘bringing unions back in’ to the analysis of left governments’ performance sharpens distinctions
with neoliberal governments and unsettles existing typologies. We review the labour policies of left
governments in four countries—Chile, Brazil, Uruguay, and Argentina—to show how a labour lens enriches
our understanding of left governments in the region.