Resistance and Solidarity: Trade Union Exchange on the Situation in Cuba

We recently hosted an exchange with Norma Goicochea Estenoz, former Cuban ambassador to Belgium and representative of Cuba to the United Nations World Federation. The meeting brought together a group of trade union leaders in Brussels to discuss the current political and economic situation on the island and the impact of the ongoing U.S. blockade.

Norma described how the tightening of economic sanctions and especially the restrictions on oil supplies are deepening Cuba’s current crisis, with serious consequences for everyday life, from food production and transportation to healthcare and education. Nevertheless, she emphasized the determination of the Cuban people to confront these challenges. Resistance and solidarity, she stressed, remain central pillars of Cuban society.

By hosting the meeting at its premises, the Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung Brussels Office reaffirmed its commitment to internationalist dialogue and solidarity. As Rebecca Trixa and Federico Tomasone, project managers at the Brussels office, underlined, it is crucial to create spaces where trade unions and workers’ organizations can exchange perspectives and strengthen solidarity with Cuba in the face of continued economic pressure.

The exchange offered an important moment to reaffirm the role of international labour solidarity with Cuba.