“Workers of the world unite you have nothing to lose but your chains”
The World Federation of Trade Unions [WFTU] Trade Union International Public Services and Allied [TUI PS & A] joined millions of workers and progressive organisations around the world in support of the United Nations General Assembly Resolution: “On the necessity to end the economic, commercial and financial blockade against Cuba” to be voted, on the 23rd of June 2021.
In the past recent years, there has been a progressive and systematic increase in the aggressiveness of US policy against the Cuban people and against all sovereign States that maintain or attempt to establish economic, commercial and financial relations with Cuba.
The Trump Administration reinforced the economic, commercial and financial blockade against Cuba until it reached unprecedented levels of aggressiveness and hostility. It applied the most severe new unilateral sanctions against Cuba since President John F. Kennedy imposed the blockade against Cuba in 1962 and the Joe Biden administration has maintained these measures.
Contrary to the provisions of UN General Assembly resolution 74/7 and many previous ones, there were more than new 249 unilateral coercive economic actions and measures imposed by the Trump Administration against Cuba.
Those new unilateral measures included fines and other types of sanctions against U.S. or third country entities for keeping relations with Cuba; insertion of Cuban companies in unilateral lists; the possibility of establishing lawsuits under Title III of the Helms-Burton Act; the increased persecution of Cuba’s financial and commercial transactions; the ban on flights from the U.S. to all Cuban provinces, the persecution and intimidation of companies that send fuel supplies to Cuba; a campaign to discredit Cuban medical cooperation programs, are some of the examples.
TUI-PS&A therefore call upon the UNGA and all member states to denounce this barbaric foreign policy of the United States and vote in favour of the resolution which calls for end to this genocidal blockade on Cuba.
Issued by Zola Saphetha: General Secretary (WFTU-TUI-PS&A)