Cuba Young Trade Unionists May Day Brigade 2024
Report from Simon Turp, TSSA.
Earlier this year, I was given the brilliant news that I had been selected by TSSA, to be one of two TSSA delegates to attend Cuba on the Young Trade Unionists May Day Brigade. This was the 17th annual trip the Cuba Solidarity Campaign arranged, with TSSA regularly sending young delegates.
Veronica and I were joined by 35 other brigadistas in the UK & Ireland delegation (also featuring one from Gibraltar!), from other unions, including our friends at ASLEF & RMT, as well as other unions in the movement such as Unite, PCS, NAPO, to name a few.
However, many countries around the world show solidarity for Cuba, with over 300 activists from 33 different countries, there certainly were a lot of people to meet, from all different backgrounds, and this led to some interesting discussions about different cultures as well as trade unions in their country.
Our delegation along with other brigadistas were staying at the Julio Antonia Mella International Camp in Artemisa, roughly an hour’s drive away to the west of Havana. The camp first opened in 1972. We arrived late at night, following our long flight, and we had to find our dorm rooms when we arrived. Rooms were shared with up to 8 people in bunk bed format.
My room was shared with UK delegates from ASLEF & Unite, along with our delegation leader from the CSC. As it was very late on arrival, and we were all tired from the long journey, we got our mosquito nets set up, and got to bed sharpish, as we were due to have an early wake-up call, 06:45 am!
As we soon discovered, we’d be woken every morning by a loud rooster sound being played over the tannoy in the main square of the camp, followed by loud music! I would say though, being someone who normally doesn’t wake up on the first alarm, the rooster was most certainly effective!!
We also found that the food was extremely basic, and a difficult adjustment for some. Luckily, we knew this in advance, and we all brought different seasonings/sauces, which we ended up sharing (even with camp staff). Lunch and Dinner most days, were what we called ‘mystery meat & rice’. But the food was ok once we had come to terms with the adjustment to our new diet.
The toilet and shower facilities were communal, also a difficult adjustment for most of us. Privacy was minimal, and toilets were flushed using buckets of water! You were lucky if you managed to get a warm shower, but over time I found the best time was in the mid-evening, as warm water was powered by solar that had charged up all day in the glaring sunshine. But if you left it too late, there was no hot water left meaning the showers were cold, especially in the morning.
The first day entailed a tribute to Julio Antonia Mella, on the opening of the brigade, along with information about what was to come in the next two weeks. There was also a conference on the challenges of the Cuban economy, and how the US blockade affects them, this was finished off with ‘Cuban Night’ which was a nice open buffet dinner of food, along with Cuban music.
The next few days entailed mornings & afternoons of voluntary agricultural work on nearby farms, contributing to Cuban society, in the blazing heat! A significant amount of this work was weeding and picking crops, but we all split up into different groups, heading to different farms. There was always a group that stayed at the camp to assist with gardening duties there, to keep the camp operating.
On a couple of occasions, we also experienced power blackouts, which on some occasions lasted for a short time, and others for several hours. This is because of the fuel shortage in Cuba. Whilst we were there, it was seen on the news that this was also affecting domestic flights within Cuba.
We then travelled as a brigade to the province of Cienfuegos for a few days, where we were welcomed by a reception from the province authorities. Whilst in Cienfuegos we visited the Martires De Playa Giron Hospital, where we were given a tour of various parts of the hospital and had the chance to ask questions of them about the Cuban health system and the history of the hospital. We also donated our medical aid, which delegates brought to assist them, this included things like masks, gloves, syringes, etc. They were extremely grateful for the solidarity we showed them. Some other delegations from different countries visited schools, where they got to better understand the education system in Cuba.
We carried out more agricultural work whilst in the province, at an agricultural cooperative. On our last evening in the province, we visited one of the local Committee for the Defence of the Revolution (CDR) events, which was being held similar to a street party, with local people dancing, but in my opinion one of the highlights of the brigade, we got to talk to young Cuban people. These conversations mostly centred around what football teams we support, but it was an enjoyable experience to see and understand what life is like for Cuban people. We donated material aid, which included school supplies like pens, notebooks etc.
On our way back to the camp, we stopped at the Playa Giron Museum and learnt more about the Bay of Pigs invasion. Over the following days, we carried out more voluntary work and had conferences on the Cultural development of Cuba. The day before May Day, we also visited a Cinema in Havana, to watch an early screening of two documentaries from ‘Belly of the Beast’. These were insightful, and I would highly recommend checking them out on YouTube.
Wake Up on May Day, was extremely early, with us needing to be on the coaches by 3 am! When we arrived in Havana for the celebrations, it took some time to get through security, so at this point, we understood why we had to get there early! The celebrations started at 7 am, taking place on the Anti-Imperialist platform, with the US Embassy just behind the stage. There were speeches from key figures including the General Secretary of the CTC (Workers’ Central Union of Cuba), and the Cuban President.
There were over 200,000 people in attendance, which is only a chunk of the normal attendance levels, which was hampered by the ongoing fuel shortages.
The day after May Day, we visited an international solidarity conference at the Conventions Palace in Havana. There were several Cuban politicians, including the President, and over 1,000 activists and trade unionists from across the world.
There were a lot of speeches on different topics, which included the blockade and how it affects the Cuban people, the genocide in Palestine, and trade unionism. Senior figures also gave a heartfelt appreciation for the solidarity with Cuba and participation in the brigade on behalf of their working people.
On our final day, we visited the Fidel Castro Centre, where we learnt more about the former Cuban president and his part in the Cuban revolution. There was also a closing ceremony of the brigade hosted by the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples (ICAP), who organised and coordinated our activities throughout the trip.
We then spent our last few hours exploring Havana, before picking up our coach back to the airport and heading on the long flight home!
To summarise, the trip was a phenomenal experience. We got to experience first-hand, life in Cuba, and the effects of the US blockade on the Cuban economy. We contributed to Cuban society. In just a few days of voluntary work, we contributed enough to pay a whole month’s salary for all workers on that farm!
We learnt how advanced their healthcare system is, with some of the best scientists in the world. Their healthcare system is heavily based on being proactive with prevention, rather than just reacting, but again their biggest struggle is supplies.
The trip showed how important our solidarity is to them, and why we must continue as trade unionists to do everything we can to stop the awful US blockade. Under Obama, restrictions were eased, and a light at the end of the tunnel could be seen, however when Trump got in power, the situation was escalated, and restrictions re-imposed, as well as placing Cuba on the state sponsors of terrorism list. Cuba is desperate for a breakthrough, and to be able to trade freely and access the supplies and fuel that they need to live. The hostile behaviour from the US government towards Cuba, needs to stop, to allow the Cuban people to live their lives without fear of shortages of food, fuel, and other vital supplies.
