(From the Workers newspaper 28/09/2024)
The UK Labour Party's annual conference, held this week in the city of Liverpool, was the first since the party's victory on 4 July after 14 years of Conservative Party (Tory) governments.
The event brought together representatives of Britain's main trade unions, including UNISON and UNITE, which have historically backed Labour. It was also attended by members and leaders of other national unions.
In this context, the renowned Cuba Solidarity Campaign (CSC) participated as an exhibitor together with some of the unions affiliated to this British non-governmental organisation, which has been in existence for more than 30 years.
Thanks to its work, the CSC managed to attract important figures from British politics and trade unionism, who attended the Cuba Vive North West Rally and the Cuban Workers Under Blockade event.
During one of the sessions of the party event, Rob Miller, director of the CSC announced that the fundraising actions carried out so far this year as part of the Cuba Vive initiative, raised more than £100,000, which will be used to mitigate the difficulties and shortages in health care caused by the economic blockade imposed by the United States.
British trade unions affiliated to the CSC joined in this solidarity support for Cuban workers, which in previous months carried out activities and mobilisations to inform about the impact of the blockade and the inclusion of the Antillean nation on the list of countries sponsoring terrorism, which is drawn up annually by the US State Department.
Pro-Cuba panel at the Labour Party Conference. Photo taken from X, Cuban Embassy in the UK.
The Cuba Vive North West Rally held on Monday 23 September at The Casa, Liverpool, was attended by the Cuban Ambassador to the UK Ismara Vargas Walter and MPs such as Bell Ribeiro-Addy, Kim Johnson and Richard Burgon, who maintain their solidarity with Cuba and are part of the British Parliament's friendship group with the island.
The speeches that day highlighted the role that Cuba has historically played with respect to internationalism, especially in the case of health workers who have carried out difficult missions in different countries around the world.
The following day, Tuesday 24 September, as part of the Labour Party conference sessions, the Cuban Workers Under Blockade meeting took place, with the participation of Vargas Walter, head of Cuban diplomacy in the European country, and speeches by Paula Barker, member of the British Parliament, Nazifa Zaman, representative of the UNITE trade union, and Rob Miller, president of the CSC. The moderator was Steve Turner, Deputy General Secretary of UNITE.
During the day, they returned to the difficult conditions faced by Cuban workers due to the blockade, as well as the impact of the coercive measures on the economy and on daily life. The panellists highlighted the resilience of the Cuban people and the importance of increasing solidarity actions from the British trade union and political movement.
Cuban stand at the Labour Party National Conference. Photo taken from X, Cuban Embassy in the UK.
The trade union leaders and Labour Party members present at the event pledged to continue to raise their voices for justice and the right of the Cuban people to develop without interference.
The participation of so many relevant actors in British politics and trade unionism in the two days of support for Cuba in the context of the Labour Party's National Conference is evidence of the increasingly widespread rejection of the US blockade in the face of the almost unanimous recognition of the Cuban people's right to self-determination.
For the Antillean diplomats, the experience of these days is an irrefutable testimony to the strength of international solidarity with the Cuban Revolution, an effort that continues to inspire millions of people around the world.