Cuba's CTC Union Chooses Its Side

Cuba's CTC Union Chooses Its Side
April 2, 2013
Daisy Valera

HAVANA TIMES — "United for a Prosperous and Sustainable Socialism" is
the motto under which the "Cuban Workers Federation" (Central de
Trabajadores de Cuba, or CTC) will convene this coming May Day (surely
it's a more optimistic slogan than "Work Hard!").

The official motto covered the front pages of several newspapers as the
organization exhorted us to participate in the materialization of the
guidelines of the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC).

Could we expect any another position from the CTC? That would be naive.

In the past five decades, the Cuban Workers Union has added to its sad
list of acts of disloyalty, a list that includes the prohibition of
other unions, employment records used for blacklisting, denial of the
right to strike, and its support of the 2008 Social Security Act (which
added five years to the retirement age).

Then, in just over 13 months, the CTC has changed its line.

In 2012, with the wave of dismissals based on "demonstrated suitability"
and supported by the union, it called on workers to participate in and
discuss work plans and the budget (see Bohemia magazine, in Spanish).

At this time, possibly thanks to its passive attitude taken in the face
of mass layoffs, the main union in the country chooses to keep its
members disempowered rather than to promote their participation in
workplace decision-making.

Carmen Rosa Lopez

This was corroborated by the new top union official Carmen Rosa Lopez,
who said, "It's clear that the workers don't approve the plan, but
they'll contribute to fulfilling it with their labor" (see Trabajadores
newspaper, in Spanish).

The statements by the new leader of the CTC didn't stop there, as Lopez
takes the opportunity to highlight the attitude of the organization's
leading administrators. She explained that the role of the trade union
movement is to mobilize workers around the main tasks of the country.

This is a position that dispels any doubt about the possible
participation and involvement of Cuban workers in the "updating of
socialism."

The wearing of masks has grown old. What's becoming clearer is a more
realistic picture of the only organization that can legally represent
the island's workforce. It can be seen as one that's halfway between a
dues collection box and a puppet theater where the management pulls all
the strings.

So what can be done in the face of such visceral but forgotten problems
as rising unemployment, underemployment and token wages? What can be
done to prevent very likely exploitation of Cuban laborers – this time
by multinational corporations, for which the government will open the doors?

The CTC is choosing its side, but the workers aren't on it. Belonging to
the union's ranks only serves to give it credit at the international level.

What's required now is the establishment of new mechanisms of
information and communication between those who work for the government
and between the self-employed.

What are needed are new unions capable of fighting for workers' demands
rather than bowing their heads, agreeing and obeying.

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