This text is based on the use of discursive power to show that the longevity of trade unionism could be responsible for preventing it from disappearing; this is why we have studied its origin. Methodologically we have relied on the critical analysis of specialized literature. Our results indicate that the emergence of mercantilism at the beginning of the Modern Age brought about profound changes in professional corporations, which basically tested two strategies at the Spanish level: the master craftsmen tried to increase their control over the production process and the workforce, which made it difficult for officers to access the upper levels of the trade; and the officers were organized under a visibly trade union institution. In conclusion, respect for the stratified order by officers forced them to replicate the associative formulas of their teachers. In addition, they assumed a critical participatory role in new forms of economic development, which led them to claim rights, working conditions and employment conditions that they had traditionally and legally enjoyed.