Gilda Chacon, head of the international section (Asia-Pacific Region) of the Cuban Federation of Workers (CTC) and a member of the Cuban parliament, is touring Australia at the invitation of the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU). Green Left Weekly's Annolies Truman and Nancy Herrera caught up with her on July 15 in Perth.
How do unions in Australia and Cuba differ?
The CTC is a broad confederation of trade unions like the ACTU, but it covers 98% of Cuban workers. Whereas Australian unions have to constantly fight for their members' wages and conditions and are now engaged in the defence of basic rights — such as the right to strike, collective bargaining and safety on the job. Cuban workers have these rights guaranteed by a socialist government. Last year our government voted for significant increases in wages and pensions.
Workers benefit from other policies too: the highest budget priorities are education, health (both free at all levels) and social security.
Our main focus is how to survive the US economic blockade, which has stunted the Cuban economy. The blockade not only prevents US businesses from trading with Cuba, but also penalises other nations that do business with us. Any ship that docks at a Cuban port is denied access to the US for six months. It is estimated that the blockade has cost the Cuban economy US$79 billion.
For example, recently we wanted to buy 5000 protective gloves for workers, but manufacturers of the highest quality wouldn't trade with us because of the ramifications with the US. A secondary problem was that other manufacturers knew they had us over a barrel, and we would have to pay what they asked. We ended up paying above the market rate for poorer quality [goods]. But the workers needed them, so we had to do it.
The whole of Cuba has had to be very resourceful, and the CTC has contributed to this collective effort because it is in workers' interests to improve the economy. We have had to totally restructure agriculture and public transport. By necessity, we have turned to organic farming, permaculture and urban community gardens. We have had to import bicycles from China and catch fewer buses. It has been very difficult, but there have been health benefits! Venezuelan oil is also enabling us to construct much-needed housing. Our two big projects now are to expand housing and public transport.
How does the Cuban government counter Washington's efforts to propagandise for capitalism inside Cuba?
We have launched the "Battle of Ideas", which includes 106 projects. One small example: when the US government broadcast ongoing audio-visual propaganda outside the US embassy in Havana, the government put up pro-socialist banners to obscure the screens! Another longer-term project is the training of tens of thousands of social workers to engage people in community programs that highlight the benefits of socialism.
Does the CTC have special programs for women, young people or the unemployed?
We have three secretariats for women, young people and retirees [respectively]. In fact, this structure exists in every union as well. An indication of the success of the women's secretariat's work is the 66.2% participation of women in professional and technical fields.
One program for young workers encourages young unemployed people and youth who have left school to return to their studies. The government also gives a living allowance to these students.
A similar program is run by the ministry of sugar, because 38,000 workers lost their jobs with the restructuring of the sugar industry in the turn to organic agriculture. Some 28,000 workers are retraining under this program, and they also receive an allowance.
You used to be a teacher, then a teachers' union delegate. Tell us about education in Cuba.
Education is one of Cuba's top priorities because it has such an impact on the well-being of individuals and society. With the recent importation and installation of 46,000 computers, powered by solar energy, in pre-schools and in rural schools, education is going through fundamental change. We currently have 19,000 computer teachers around the country and there is a new University of Computing.
Cuba has 4600 teachers in special education and 1390 children with severe physical or mental difficulties are visited at home. About 370 attend hospital classes. Braille printing facilities are available with books and texts for study. Families on low incomes can access everything they need for learning at libraries.
We try to educate through a range of media. For example, we broadcast education classes on all the national TV channels.
Cuba is a gigantic classroom where more than 100,000 people go on to higher education; we can boast 24,000 full-time teachers and 20,000 part-time teachers. Between 2003 and 2004, 2.5 million children and young people and 300,000 adults were studying [of a total population of 11 million]. In Cuba, education is a life-long pursuit.
From Green Left Weekly, July 26, 2006.
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