Greeting Message by WFTU General Secretary to the CTC Cuba solidarity Meeting, Havana May 2nd 2009
5 May 2009
Dear guests,
Dear comrades,
Sisters and brothers,
It is a great pleasure and honor for the World Federation of Trade Union to be here today together with the comrades from Cuba and several representatives from the international trade union arena. The joy is even greater, because this year a transcendental celebration is happening. The Revolution in Cuba celebrates its 50 anniversary and CTC its 70 years of life. These two events are very important, firstly for the Cuban people, secondly, for the peoples of Latin America and thirdly, for the peoples of the world.
The WFTU from the first day of its creation, in 1945 until today has walked comradely along with the CTC. They supported the people of Cuba, they supported the Revolution and they supported the great successes of the Cuban Revolution. We have standed all these years against imperialist intervention, against the U.S. policy and NATO, against the embargo and the slanders launched against the Cuban Revolution by the Europeans and the governments of the North American Empire. We defended and we still do, the right of the Cuban people to decide alone on its present and future. We unite our voice with the voice of all Cubans and we call for the immediate release of the five Cubans, in jail for fighting against terrorism.
Dear comrades,
We live in a period of capitalist globalization and of global economic crisis. Today’s economic crisis is not a usual one. It is perhaps the biggest after the “Great Depression” of 1929. During the last few months some economists, ideologists and other think tanks of the capitalist system have been arguing that the reason for the crisis is, among others, the “corruption”, the “scandals”, the “greed”, other “excesses” etc. All these supporters of exploitation are trying in reality to hide the truth. To hide the real causes of the economic crisis.
Karl Marx in 1847 spoke and wrote about the crises of the capitalist system. He stressed that these are inevitable, cyclical and repetitive. As long as wealth is concentrated in the hands of the few and poverty is for the many, crises will be more profound and more hard! Those who try to avoid crises through reforms will not succeed. The current crisis is a crisis of over-production and over-accumulation. It is not only a crisis of the financial system and of the neoliberal policies. In all capitalist countries the crisis is there no matter if the government is neo-liberal or social democratic.Up to now we have not suffered yet all the consequences of the economic crisis.
The WFTU believes that the new crisis of the capitalist system shows the limits of capitalism. The limits of the exploitation system itself.
EU capitalists are attempting to use the current crisis to win new positions in the intra-capitalist competition. To appear as an alternative solution to the USA. At the same time they are trying to impose their “unique” model to all countries. The European Union is carrying out propaganda in favor of using the “euro” as the international currency which will replace the dollar. They estimate that difficulties in the USA will grow deeper and that the US will lose positions in the international competition.
Another major and basic global problem, mostly for the workers and peoples of the Third World countries, is the phenomenon of hunger and the food crisis. The biggest problem exists in the sub-Saharan Africa where, according to UN data, 236 million Africans are undernourished for many years.
Hunger is not a natural phenomenon as many non-governmental organizations (NGOs) wish to present it. It is a profound social phenomenon. Hunger has its causes in the exploitation of developing countries by the developed capitalist countries, in the removal of millions of farmers from their land, the abandonment of traditional crops to produce biofuels, in the drought created by climate changes etc. Price speculation by the multinationals causes an additional aggravation of the problem. The FAO announced a few months ago that the price of a ton of rice jumped from 203 dollars in 2004 to 1.100 dollars today.
It is not a coincidence that faced with this situation many countries are buying large rural areas in specific places. Here are a few examples:
Ø The United Arab Emirates bought 3 million hectares in the Philippines and 900 thousand hectares in Pakistan
Ø Japan 6 bought thousands of hectares in New Zealand
Ø Japan purchased 100 thousand hectares in Brazil
Ø Daewoo bought 1 million hectares in Madagascar
The same land acquisition policy is followed by India in Indonesia, South Korea and Madagascar and this phenomenon is generalized. The indigenous peoples will be displaced once more and will be the first to pay the multinationals’ thirst for new profits.
Within this international political environment, we evaluate as very positive the developments that occur in some countries of Latin America. Apart from the heroic Cuba that is moving on its socialist course, in Venezuela, Bolivia, Ecuador, the peoples are fighting and open new ways against the imperialists and against exploitation. We express our solidarity with the peoples of Latin America; we fight against the policies of the International Monetary Fund and against the policies of the World Bank.
We participate and play a leading role in the initiative of class-oriented trade unions in the trade union meetings “Nuestra America”. We are ready to join our action with all the unions who are fighting against monopolies and multinationals. To unite all workers in the fight against the exploitation of man by man.
We demand to stop the killings and persecutions against trade unionists in Colombia and other countries. We call upon the International Organizations to finally stop showing any kind of tolerance towards such phenomena of violence and authoritarianism that restrict the democratic and trade union freedoms.
Dear comrades,
From this podium we want to assure once again the Cuban people, the working class and the leadership of the CTC that we will continue to be on their side.
The WFTU will organize in Europe, Asia, Africa and Middle East solidarity events for the 50 years of the Revolution and the 70 years of the CTC. During all these years, the CTC had a unique role in the successes of Cuba and the defense of the Revolution. As recognition of the important role of the CTC, allow me, on behalf of the WFTU, to give this painting to the CTC in the person of its General Secretary Salvador Valdes Messa.
Long live the Cuban Revolution!
Long live Fidel and Raul!
Long live the CTC!