After his return, Recabarren was arrested and sent to jail in Los Andes during 18 months, until August 1910. In 1911 he moved back to Iquique where, unhappy with his party and together with a group of nitrate workers, he founded the Socialist Workers Party (POS) on June 4, 1912. Previously, on May 20 of that same year he had founded the "El Despertar de los trabajadores" ("The awakening of the Workers") newspaper to promote his ideas. During its existence (1912–1926) the newspaper was banned several times, but Recabarren continued preaching his socialist credo from any tribune he could get.