As the last days of the year draw to a close, a vital shipment is crossing the Atlantic. It is not luxury goods, but essential resources: a container with 23 tonnes of powdered milk that will soon arrive at the port of Mariel. It is direct support from British workers to families in the eastern provinces severely affected by Hurricane Melissa last October.
The shipment marks the end of an intense period of action by the Campaign for Solidarity with Cuba (CSC) in the United Kingdom and British trade unions in the context of the ‘Cuba Vive’ initiative. The alliance has managed five containers of medical supplies worth millions of pounds sterling throughout 2025, a period marked by economic suffocation caused by the intensification of the blockade and the impact of atmospheric phenomena aggravated by the climate crisis. This latest shipment of powdered milk also demonstrates that internationalism is a real practice.
Following Hurricane Melissa, which caused significant damage to infrastructure and agriculture in the eastern region, the CSC reacted immediately. In record time, they launched an emergency campaign that mobilised large trade unions such as UNISON, Unite, NEU, ASLEF, RMT and many others. The funds raised enabled the purchase of a staple food for the food security of children, pregnant women and the elderly in the affected areas.
Rob Miller, director of the CSC, emphasised the strategic importance of the shipment in the current context: ‘We hope that the donation will bring relief to the people of Cuba at this difficult time. The combined threats of hurricanes and the intensification of the US blockade make international solidarity across borders more important than ever to defend sovereignty and life.’
A year of resistance and support
2025 closes as a year in which British solidarity has thwarted US restrictions. In addition to the five previous containers, whose supplies of syringes, wheelchairs, surgical equipment and cancer drugs amount to millions of pounds, there was a political battle in the streets and in the British Parliament to demand an end to the US blockade.
Cuba's ambassador to the United Kingdom, Ismara Vargas Walter, expressed her gratitude for the gesture:
"This generous donation comes at a critical time. As we work to recover from the devastation caused by the hurricane, this container will provide essential food to our most vulnerable sectors. It represents support that breaks through the suffocating restrictions of the blockade and demonstrates the deep ties between the British and Cuban peoples."
When the cranes at Mariel unload the cargo in the coming days, the largest of the Antilles will be receiving the result of the latest effort by thousands of workers in Manchester, Liverpool and London. In Washington, meanwhile, they will know that ‘Cuba lives and is not alone’.
From the pages of Trabajadores, the Cuban trade union movement extends its gratitude. Looking ahead to 2026, the centenary of Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro, solidarity is confirmed as a fundamental pillar in the relationship between the two peoples.
Taken from the newspaper Trabajadores: https://www.trabajadores.cu/20251226/solidaridad-britanica-desafia-el-bl...