Comrades,
I appreciate the invitation the Austrian Trade-union Confederation (ÖGB) and particularly, Marcus Ströhmeier and Sabine Stelczenmayr have extended to me on the occasion of the inauguration of an exhibit devoted to the Cuban Trade Union. I welcome the presence of the veteran comrade Gilda Chacón Bravo from the Division of International Relations of the Cuban Trade Union who is participating as a panellist in this meeting.
The Cuban Trade Union is a unitary union which gathers all Cuban workers. It has a long tradition of struggle for achieving worker´s demands since its foundation in 1939. The Cuban Trade Union was persecuted, unauthorized and even forced to submit its authentic leaders due to plundering and some assassinations before the Revolution, in the times of corrupt and tyrannical governments. However, it fully joined without any hesitation, the tasks for the construction of the new society after the Triumph of the Revolution on 1st January 1959.
This exhibit entitled “Changes in Cuba and their impact in workers” and the debate panel which bring us today in Vienna under the auspices of the Austrian Trade Union Confederation address an interesting and updated theme. Essentially, this is a process of updating Cuba´s economic and social model which we are developing and thus workers play the main role on it.
This process started in 2011 by approving the guidelines of the economic and social policy of the Party and the Revolution for updating the economic model of Socialist construction. It aims at transforming Cuba into a more efficient and sustainable country in all aspects, focusing on the economic field. Its strategic goal is to achieve a Prosperous and Sustainable Socialism.
The Central Committee of the Party has already passed three guiding documents for the updating of our economic and social model after having executed a broad process of popular consultations. Those documents will be submitted to the National Assembly´s consideration on 1st June:
- The Conceptualization of Cuba´s Economic and Social Model of Socialist Development;
- The National Economic and Social Development Plan until 2030: the vision of a nation, axes, and strategic sectors;
- The new modifications of the Guidelines of the Economic and Social Policy of the Party and the Revolution.
We invite you to exchange some views on these topics with our representative from the Cuban Trade Union and to enjoy this exhibit.
I thank you
(Embacuba Austria)