More than 500 men from the provinces of Ciego de Ávila, Las Tunas, Granma, Guantánamo, Santiago de Cuba, Matanzas and Mayabeque, among other forces, contributed to returning the service to the residents of the capital.

Luis Antonio Torres Iríbar, first secretary of the Provincial Committee of the Party, highlighted the dedication and sacrifice of these brigades, which allowed the restoration of electricity in the city.

“His effort ratified that we can suffer dissimilar situations, but we must always maintain confidence in the Revolution, which since it was born did so alongside the humble and for the humble, and leaves no one helpless,” said the party leader.

At the close of six in the afternoon this Monday, a figure of more than 98% of Havana customers had the fluid in their homes, reported the Electric Company of Havana on its Facebook profile.

The collaboration of the 35 lineman brigades from other territories will now be extended to Pinar del Río, the scene most affected by the meteorological phenomenon.

(With information from the website of the Presidency and Canal Habana)

After the National Anthem was played and the national hero honored with white roses, Political Bureau member and Secretary General of the Federation of Cuban Workers, Ulises Guilarte Nacimiento, congratulated the nation’s workers for their commitment and critical contribution to the construction of a living, united and victorious homeland.

Also in attendance were Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz and other members of the Party, Political Bureau, government and trade union movement.

Cuban workers and families celebrated May Day virtually, on social networks, and in small gatherings in accordance with sanitary measures established, reaffirming the people’s majority support for the Cuban Revolution, and our continuing struggle for equality and social justice.

(Taken from Granma)

“Your example has special significance, as the response of Cuban workers, laborers and professionals, fighting, thinking and working as a country, contributing decisively to the continuity of this beautiful revolutionary work,” stated José Antonio Pérez Pérez, member of the CTC (Federation of Cuban Workers) national secretariat.

At the proposal of the Minister of the Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR) and CTC Secretary General, the President issued Decree no.237 granting the title of Hero of Labor of the Republic of Cuba to 13 compañeros, including a posthumous award to Vice Admiral Julio César Gandarilla, former Minister of the Interior. His widow Minerva Sarmiento accepted the title from Diaz-Canel.
Photo: Estudios Revolución

Twelve workers were awarded the First Degree Lazaro Peña Order, from different unions and territories; while four former union leaders were granted the Third Degree Lazaro Peña Order and six health and science workers, members of the Henry Reeve International Contingent of Doctors Specialized in Situations of Disasters and Serious Epidemics, were honored with the Labor Achievement Medal.

The honorees were accompanied by members of the Party Political Bureau Manuel Marrero Cruz, Prime Minister; Roberto Morales Ojeda, Secretary of Party Organization and Cadre Policy; and the Ministers of the FAR and Interior, Army Corps General Alvaro Lopez Miera, and Brigadier General Lazaro Alberto Alvarez, as well as CTC Secretary General Ulises Guilarte de Nacimiento, among others.

Heroes & Heroines of Labor:

• Army Corps General Ramón Espinosa Martín

• Brigadier General (R) Marcelo Verdecia Perdomo

• Coronel Nicolás Ponzoa Reyes

• Coronel (R) Eladio Julián Fernández

• Nilia Victoria Escobar Yéndez

• Ramón Conrado López

• Orestes Benítez Fernández

• Héctor Rodríguez Silva

• Alberto Lescay Merencio

• Hilda Reyes López

• Crescencio Ferro Ordaz

• Odel Peña Vázquez

• Vice Admiral Julio César Gandarilla Bermejo (posthumous)

Because of the many shared endeavors, because the strength of a country lies in its people, and because we have more than enough reasons to celebrate the contribution of our workers, this May Day a vast plaza on social networks will witness the virtual embrace of those who, from Maisí to Cape San Antonio, awake every day to get this island of unity and resistance moving, in fields, factories, hospitals, schools, and all variety of workplaces.

On that digital stage, our truth, our conquests and our challenges will be paraded in photos, videos, selfies and hashtags.

Under the banner of “United: We are making Cuba,” the Cuban trade union movement will also make clear workers’ support for transformations underway in the labor environment, including the new policy to provide greater autonomy to socialist state enterprises, an improved framework for the non-state sector and the implementation of monetary re-ordering.

It will also be a May Day of emotions, joy and gratitude, because Cuba has in its professionals, technicians, workers and campesinos a powerful bastion.

With Cuba, solidarity will also arrive via digital means, during another international meeting, set to take place April 30 and May 1, organized by the Federation of Cuban Workers (CTC) and the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples (ICAP).

During a press conference, decorated Hero of the Republic Fernando González Llort, ICAP president, explained that, despite the current epidemiological situation, the event was not canceled, to allow all friends of Cuba and trade unionists around the world to join our traditional May Day celebrations, in a virtual embrace of solidarity.

He reported that the CTC and ICAP social media pages will be open to all those interested in participating in the debates on solidarity work and the struggle against the U.S. economic, financial and commercial blockade of Cuba, in addition to continental forums of friends in Europe, Asia, Africa, the Middle East and the Americas, in which more than 80 representatives of trade union and political organizations will take part.

(Taken from Granma)

Faced with the impossibility of filling plazas and quenching our thirst for gathering and festivity, the Cuban Workers’ Central Union (CTC) has called for creative virtual celebrations in every home and workplace to reaffirm our support for the Revolution.

There are many reasons to celebrate: the country continues to resist the economic, commercial and financial blockade of the U.S. government, tightened by the Trump administration, which adopted 242 hostile measures – all remaining in force today – and the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has weakened even the most powerful economies.

Cuban Communists have just held the 8th Party Congress, a transcendental event, securing continuity, passing the political organization’s principal responsibilities to a generation that grew up admiring the rebels in the Sierra who now continue “with their foot in the stirrup,” alongside us on the paths they taught us.

One of these paths, that of innovation and sovereignty, that of empowering internal forces, that of learning to produce what we need with our own hands – perhaps a mandate from Fidel and Raul that remains pending – is the one that workers in health and the sciences have been following, in this struggle for life, as necessary and Cuban as that of tobacco and sugar of which, 80 years ago, Don Fernando Ortiz spoke about.

(Taken from Granma)

“On this occasion, May Day commemorations will be held virtually, under the maxim of: Making Cuba, united…”

(Taken from Granma)

Mr. Director General;

Excellencies, Heads of State and Government;

I feel honored to bring to this virtual Summit the voice of Cuba, a small developing country, where workers in power struggle on a daily basis to achieve all justice, which was the dream and a commitment of the founding fathers of our nation.

Today, as has been always the case throughout the last 61 years, Cuba is sharing the new and serious challenges facing the International Labor Organization as it enters into its second century of its existence.

The impact of COVID-19 adds to the challenges that the world of work was already facing under the tough rules of the market, which will have undeniably devastating consequences on the various crises generated by this pandemic in all countries’ economies.

Unemployment has increased several times over. Lack of social protection is on the rise, and so are inequality and poverty.

But we should not deceive ourselves. The terrible impact and nefarious consequences of the pandemic all over the world are not only a result of this lethal virus. Years of neoliberal policies and wild capitalism, subject to market laws, are the root cause of the serious global situation.

According to experts, 305 million jobs have already been lost and the livelihoods of 1.6 billion workers are being jeopardized. Hundreds of millions of persons will soon be joining the ranks of those who are already suffering from the inequalities of an unjust international economic order, whose survival is certainly at stake.

These times are dramatically serious and demand concerted actions. Neither governments, nor workers or employers, can afford standing by doing nothing. The colossal endeavor we must devote ourselves to demands solutions in the higher interest of workers’ rights.

Those who create jobs, particularly small and medium producers, will also require assistance.

It is imperative to consolidate social dialogue in the process of defining and implementing policies to confront and recover from the pandemic.

Mr. Director General:

Cuba, a small nation that has been coping with the COVID-19 pandemic, is suffering from the brutal and opportunistic tightening of the economic, commercial and financial blockade policy imposed by the United States, aimed at severely curtailing our trade and our access to fuels and hard currency.

Despite the ever-growing worldwide appeal against it, the blockade imposed on Cuba not only has been maintained since this epidemiological threat broke out in the entire planet, but it has been escalating its criminal harassment against a whole people, viciously punishing all Cuban families.

In the midst of this suffocating economic warfare, our government has implemented actions to protect the health of the entire people; maintain employment rates and defend labor rights and guarantees for all, for these have been the main pillars of our social project.

A total of 36 labor, salary and social security measures have been implemented. Distance working and tele-working are increasing; some workers have been re-assigned to other jobs and salaries have been guaranteed to workers who have remained at home, caring for their younger children and elders, as well as persons with poor health or who have failed to be reassigned to another job; more than 240 thousand self-employed workers have been exempted from paying their taxes; the payment of pensions has been maintained and social workers are paying special attention to families in need, among other actions.

Nobody has been left unprotected. There are now appropriate conditions to initiate the recovery process and move towards the new normality, based on the widest possible participation of the people in the decision-making process.

Mr. Director-General:

International cooperation and solidarity are today more necessary than ever. Nothing is worth more than a person’s life. That is a fundamental principle of the Cuban Revolution, which is at the basis of our international cooperation in the fields of health and education as well as in every other area that contributes to enhance human dignity.

That is why we strongly reject, condemn and repudiate all unilateral coercive measures imposed against sovereign nations like Cuba, Venezuela and others that are today suffering from the most cruel and massive punishments for having chosen a political or social system different from those of the dominant economic powers. Those measures are inhuman and should be eliminated, all the more so in the context of the current pandemic, when sanctions are pointing to genocide.

The International Labor Organization, with an all-encompassing work in favor of social justice, the promotion of decent employment and the protection of the human rights of workers can contribute, within its mandate, to help the world of work leave behind the crisis caused by COVID-19.

Cuba, as a founding country of this Organization, reiterates its willingness to continue strengthening the indispensable multilateralism, solidarity and international cooperation, and remains committed to continue guaranteeing the protection of workers’ rights and move on towards the construction of a more just world.

Work is a sacred right and value. As was expressed by the historical leader of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro Ruz, and I quote: “…only by working will it be possible to move forward; only by working will it be possible to produce the goods that the country needs; only by working will it be possible to produce more food; only by working will it be possible to address the country’s most pressing challenges.

Thank you, very much.

(Translation: Minrex)

If there is one thing that allows Cubans to hold our heads high in any international forum addressing the problems of our peoples, it is the work of our government to protect the population’s welfare, based on full respect for universal human rights.

In the context of the pandemic, beyond the damage to health and loss of life, the harmful impact on workers is the most serious consequence. Already known is the loss of the equivalent in working hours of 400 million full-time jobs in the second quarter of 2020.

When Cuba’s President attends the World Leaders’ Summit of the International Labor Organization, July 7, he will discuss the 36 measures taken to address labor, wages and social security during the epidemic; the country’s facilitating of remote work, relocation to other jobs, and extension of wage protection for those staying home to care for young children, the elderly or others in vulnerable conditions. A million self-employed workers were exempted from tax payments; pension payments and social assistance continued and those who became ill, or were placed in preventive isolation, received subsidies.

In the voice of our President, Cuba will speak on the basis of these facts, and with the forceful arguments of the most palpable reality.

(Source: Granma)

Inertia, justifications, and defeatism are always harmful, but especially now given the pressing need for savings, substituting imports, developing exports, and combating theft and illegalities, as well as ordering the monetary environment, salaries, and benefits, said José Ramón Machado Ventura, second secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba Central Committee, during the closing session of the Federation of Cuban Workers 21st Congress (CTC).

With the presence of Army General Raúl Castro Ruz, First Secretary of the Party, and Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, President of the Councils of State and Ministers, on the last day of the gathering, the newly elected Secretariat of the CTC was announced, with Political Bureau member Ulises Guilarte de Nacimiento reelected as general secretary.

In his remarks, Guilarte recalled the challenges the trade union movement faces in continuing to contribute to economic efficiency and urged delegates to make a reality of the trade union movement’s watchwords this year: Unity, commitment and victory.

The coming May Day, he said, “We will shake the earth’s core with the firm steps of millions of Cuban men and women.”During the closing ceremony, works by the artist Maikel Moret, bearing the words of Fidel, Raúl and Camilo Cienfuegos, were awarded to Raúl, Díaz-Canel, and Machado Ventura, in recognition of the revolutionary work of these leaders and their contributions to the trade union movement.

Also present were members of the Political Bureau, Salvador Valdés Mesa, first vice president of the Councils of State and Ministers, and Esteban Lazo Hernández, president of the National Assembly of People’s Power, as well as other Party and government officials.

Trade union organizations from several countries with ties to the Federation of Cuban Workers (CTC) participated in activities leading up to International Workers’ Day and the 21st Congress of the Cuban trade union movement that met April 20-24 in Havana.

Representatives from more than 16 nations and some 30 organizations were invited to the event, and in addition to listening to the discussion of labor issues and concerns, they completed a full schedule including visits to production facilities to interact directly with workers.

“Our main objective is to bring people to see how we are developing the country and the circumstances in which we are doing it. We hope they pass along what they have learned, because news about Cuba is scarce and what is published is against the Revolution,” CTC Secretary General Ulises Guilarte de Nacimiento commented to the press.

He added that the main goal is to show how workers exercise union rights and that visitors freely roam the streets, listening to Cubans’ opinions. “We want them to see the damage caused by the criminal economic, commercial, and financial blockade imposed by the United States, mainly in the shortages the population faces and the lack of resources.”

Also a member of the Communist Party of Cuba Political Bureau, Guilarte noted that every year, solidarity groups around the world organize actions in support of Cuba, demanding that their governments vote for an end to the blockade in the United Nations General Assembly, given the impact suffered by the Cuban people in terms of supplies, means of production, supplies, raw materials, and spare parts.

He noted that recently the tone used by interventionist President Donald Trump has risen, with new sanctions imposed on governments seeking to build anti-capitalist societies, and mentioned sanctions announced by U.S. Vice President Mike Pence on 34 vessels owned or operated by Pdvsa (Petróleos de Venezuela) that transport oil to Cuba, as well as two additional companies.

Guilarte described the Cuba trade union congress as successful in mobilizing ideas to develop more efficiency, the indispensable basis of economic progress in Cuba. He highlighted the official statement issued by delegates in solidarity with the Bolivarian Revolution of Venezuela, with all peoples around the world fighting just causes, for peace, independence, sovereignty and against the neoliberal and discriminatory policies imposed by the White House.

These issues will also be discussed on May 2 at the World Solidarity Meeting held each year in Havana, in which international delegations share their just demands for social justice and raise their voices against the diplomatic and commercial siege that has been imposed on the sister Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, and media campaigns designed to undermine the Sandinista government of Nicaragua. They will also express solidarity with Argentine trade unions in their fight against neoliberalism, and for the freedom of former Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula Da Silva.

These demands will be expressed in May Day marches along central avenues and rallies in plazas across the country, including the emblematic Plaza de la Revolución in Havana, which will feature a colorful, multitudinous demonstration of support for the revolutionary government and for the construction of socialism under the banners of: Unity, commitment, and victory.

Across the country, health care contingents will lead marches in recognition of the results they achieved in 2018, including an infant mortality rate of 4.0 per thousand live births; revitalization of the family doctor program with a return to its foundational concepts; and a life expectancy of close to 80 years, Santiago Badía González, Secretary General of the National Union of Health Workers, explained to Granma International.

He recalled the return of the nearly 8,000 collaborating professionals who served in the Brazilian Mas Médicos program before being attacked by President Jair Bolsonaro, and highlighted Cuba’s medical assistance in more than 60 countries, with the presence of more of 30,000 workers.

“Bringing up the rear of our contingents will be professors and students from medical schools, including the Latin American School of Medicine, led by 160 compatriots who have completed internationalist missions and will carry the flags of the countries where they served,” Badía said.

Marches will reaffirm workers’ support to the socialist character of the Revolution; agreements reached at the 21st CTC Congress; as well as the Constitution proclaimed last April 10 before Parliament; and will have as another distinctive feature the celebration of Havana’s 500th anniversary.

Badía said that May Day is a workers celebration: “We are going to march in defense of our achievements, as a reaffirmation of socialism, and support for the historic leaders of the Revolution and President Miguel Díaz-Canel.”

(Granma)