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May 4, 2010 - No. 83 May Day 2010 Millions Celebrate May Day Across Cuba Havana, Cuba, May Day 2010 (Cuba Debate) May Day 2010 May Day 2010 Millions of Cubans Celebrate May FirstIn streets and squares across Cuba, millions of workers, farmers, youth and women gathered to celebrate May Day, inspired by their desire and determination to defend their national sovereignty in the face of renewed efforts by the U.S. and the European Union to attack and discredit the progress of the country's revolutionary social project. In the early morning, Cuban television and radio was broadcasting scenes of thousands of people enthusiastically making their way to José Martí Plaza de la Revolución in Havana, to the General Antonio Maceo Paza in Santiago de Cuba, and to dozens of other rally cites in towns and cities across the country. The official national celebration, held in Havana, began at 8:00 am and was officially opened by Secretary General of the Confederation of Cuban Workers (CTC), Salvador Valdés Mesa. President Raúl Castro presided over the ceremony, along with leaders of the Communist Party of Cuba, the government, mass organizations, and invited labor delegations and social movements. The Cuban youth, led by the Union of Young Communists, were in the forefront of the day's action, being given pride of place at the head of marches as a symbol of this generation's continuation of the heroic struggle of the Cuban people to defend the victories of the revolution against the new escalation of the imperialist offensive against the island. The morning dawned on José Martí Plaza de la Revolución beautifully adorned with multicolored flags, billboards, placards and giant allegorical graphics repudiating the new escalation of anti-Cuba propaganda, and demanding the liberation of the five Cuban anti-terrorists unjustly incarcerated in the United States and an end to the blockade of the island. The massive turnout was the product of a conscious decision on the part of the Cuban people to use the May Day Celebrations to send a message to the world about; the militant unity of the people around their Revolution and leaders, at a time when imperialism and its agents are attempting to discredit it. The celebration was also enthusiastically embraced by the Cuban people in the light of their successful municipal election, in which over 95 percent of the electors voted and in light of many labour collectives having met their production and services targets. The May Day action clearly demonstrated the pride of the Cuban people showing the world that neither the anti-Cuba media campaigns nor internal provocations by the counter-revolution can deter the advance of their socialist nation-building project. The May Day Celebrations in Cuba included contingents of representatives from various parts of the world, representing trade unions, political parties, and myriad other organizations, affirming that Cuba is not alone, that its example is multiplying, and that its achievements and principles are defended worldwide. Even before the ceremonies started, in one of its first news releases of the day, Granma International reported: "[T]he collective sentiment palpable everywhere here is, without any doubt whatsoever, proof that today will be a resounding demonstration of unity and response to this new escalation of international counter-propaganda on the part of the enemies of the Revolution." (Granma International, Radio Havana Cuba, Agencia Informativa de Noticias) Speech by Salvador Valdés MesaGeneral of the Army
Raúl Castro Ruz, president of
the Councils of State and Ministers: Compañeros of the Political Bureau of the Central
Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba: Invited compañeros: Compatriots:
Exactly 10 years ago, from this same scenario, Fidel
called on us to raise the concept of our most beautiful achievement --
the Revolution -- to infinite planes. It is a sense of the historic moment, he said then and,
in a few minutes, this historical plaza and all the plazas of the
country's most important cities will vibrate to the booming force of
millions of workers and their families, who will reaffirm their firm
decision to defend and build socialism as the most energetic and
resolute response to those who, from centers of power in the United
States and the European Union, seconded by internal mercenary
mini-groups, are attempting to discredit us with fallacious calumnies,
fruit of their ancestral hatred. Just a few days ago, more than 8.2 million Cubans, with
our mass turnout at the polls and a conscientious vote, elected our
People's Power delegates and were the protagonists of an exemplary
lesson in genuine participatory democracy and a resounding prelude to
this massive celebration and the infinite capacities of the workers and
the people united in an indestructible bond around the Party, Fidel and
Raúl. Sister and brother workers: We are living in a complex era of dangers and risks that
are threatening the planet and humanity. Steadily more frequent and
devastating climatic disasters, together with the global and integral
crisis of capitalism, characterize the international scenario. These
are phenomena from whose impact we are not exempt, compounded by the
effects of the genocidal blockade imposed on us by the United States,
the consequences of the Special Period and our own shortcomings. This panorama obliges us to confront highly complex
realities, as compañero Raúl noted at the Union of Young
Communists' Congress. And while, 10 years ago, the Commander in Chief
aligned us with the concept that Revolution is changing everything that
has to be changed and emancipating ourselves by ourselves and with our
own efforts, we also have the duty to align ourselves with what was
stated by our president, and I quote: "We are convinced that dogmas have to be broken and that
we have to assume, with firmness and confidence, the actualization --
already in progress -- of our economic model, with the proposition of
founding the bases for the irreversibility and development of Cuban
socialism, which we know constitutes the guarantee of national
independence and sovereignty." As workers, we know that the economic battle is, as
never before, a vital task for preserving our social system, and to
wage it successfully implies that every one of us is disposed to
fulfill the part that corresponds to us, and is aware that the
institutional and labor reordering already in progress involves all of
us. If we want to advance and raise the living standards of
the population and maintain and even rationally improve what has been
achieved in areas such as public health, education, social security and
assistance, we will have to share the lack of resources and our efforts
in order to overcome them. We need to analyze in depth Raúl's speech at the
Youth Congress, not to insist on the problems that we have, but in
order to understand those realities, identify what is holding us back
and to propose solutions within and for every labor collective. From this historic tribunal we call on the workers and
people to support the actualization of our economic model, which will
require extraordinary effort and sacrifice, aware that only by
dignifying work as a creative source of material and spiritual wealth
and a molder of conscience can we guarantee the country's economic and
social growth. Cuban women and men: Let us take advantage of the occasion to send our
congratulations and recognition to all the compatriots who, in the most
distinct confines of the world, are fulfilling beautiful
internationalist missions that are multiplying the prestige of the
Revolution. We call on the labor and social organizations, and on
all upstanding people in the world to promote the international
movement to demand an end to the unjust and inhuman economic,
commercial and financial blockade imposed by the United States on the
people of Cuba for close to 50 years and, at the same time, to demand
the liberation of our five heroes arbitrarily imprisoned in U.S. jails. We ratify our solidarity with workers of the world and
our gratitude for the gestures of support for us, in particular those
of the more than 1,000 labor and social leaders who decided to
accompany our people in this proletarian fiesta. VIVA
MAY
DAY!
¡VIVA
LA
REVOLUCIÓN!
¡VIVAN
FIDEL Y
RAÚL! ¡VIVA CUBA LIBRE! Let the fighting and combative parade of the people begin! Photo Review Cuba and Latin AmericaHavana, Cuba
       (Cuba Debate) Tegucigalpa, Honduras
  Across Honduras, May Day actions reiterated the demands for a National Constituent Assembly and the return of President Manuel Zelaya Rosales. People used the occasion to collect signatures in support of the National Constituent Assembly while others carried out a survey about possible proposals to be taken up by the National Front of Resistance. Mario Ardon Mejia) San Salvador, El Salvador   According to the May Day organizers in the capital San Salvador, this year's events were historic because of the high number of participants. At the close of the event, Vice President, Salvador Sanchez Ceren addressed the attendees who welcomed his conviction to fight to defend rights and workers. "The FMLN, on this anniversary of the International Labour Day, joins the popular demand of workers to realize the process of change in our country. [...] These are times of change because of the economic crisis and political crisis of the right-wing project. We say that this moment requires the working class to take and active role. Its unity, cohesion and clarity are essential to making historic change." (FMLN) Managua, Nicaragua  (Xinhua) Villavicencio, Colombia   Caracas, Venezuela   Venezuelans celebrated May Day with marches, rallies and various cultural events and public meetings across the country. The day was also marked by a 15 percent wage increase and broadening of social security entitlements by the government. The main national march was in the capital Caracas. While there were no official or police estimates, various participants in the march estimated that "hundreds of thousands" of people turned out to celebrate the achievements of the Bolivarian revolution and its promotion of wage increases, better working conditions and better life conditions for the poor majority. (Venezualanalysis.com. Photos: Agencia Bolivariana de Noticias) Niteroi, Brazil  Quito, Ecuador   La Paz, Bolivia   May Day in Bolivia was marked by the nationalization of Bolivia's electricity production. In his speech commemorating May Day, Morales said, “once again, on the first of May, and as always, we’re recovering our privatized enterprises.” As part of establishing state control over the energy sector, the nationalization of electricity production will guarantee labour stability and lead to a 20 percent reduction in electricity rates, news agencies report. The nationalized companies were identified as Corani, controlled by a subsidiary of France's GDF Suez; Guaracachi, run by British Ruelec PLC; and Valle Hermosa, managed by the Bolivian Generating Group. (Agencia Boliviana de Informacion)
Haiti Reconstruction Must Affirm Sovereignty Dukens Raphael, the secretary-general of Haiti's Confederation of Public and Private Sector Workers (CTSP) and spokesperson for the Union of Electrical Workers in Haiti, was in Toronto on April 26. He addressed a press conference at Queen's Park in the morning, attended a luncheon organized by the Ontario Federation of Labour and, in the evening, participated in a public forum at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education. The Toronto events were part of a Canadian tour hosted by the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE)'s BC and Ontario Divisions, the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC), the Fédération des travailleurs du Quebec (FTQ) and the Toronto Haiti Action Committee (THAC). The CTSP was founded in 2006 in opposition to the neo-liberal policies imposed on Haiti by institutions of finance capital such as the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank and implemented by the country's government. It includes about 6,500 comprising 12 public sector unions in transit, telecommunications, electricity, national archives and other sectors. It also includes teachers who work in the country's education system, 85 percent of which is privately run. At the press conference, Raphael was introduced by Illian Burbano, President of CUPE Local 3393 and co-chair of CUPE's Ontario International Solidarity Committee. Niraj Joshi, speaking on behalf of THAC, welcomed the Haitian trade union tour as a precious opportunity to oppose the disinformation being carried out by the monopoly media and the Canadian government about the real situation in Haiti. She denounced the involvement of the Canadian government in the illegal overthrow and kidnapping of Haiti's democratically elected President Jean-Bertrand Aristide in 2004 and in the repression of the Haitian people fighting for their rights against the foreign occupation of their country under the hoax of the "responsibility to protect" and assisting a "failed state". THAC, she said, is mobilizing support for the afflicted Haitian people in the wake of the January 12 earthquake in the spirit of solidarity with the Haitian people and for a reconstruction of Haiti that is decided by the Haitian people themselves. Addressing the press conference, Raphael presented the three main goals of his tour, the first being to thank the Canadian people and all the activists for their tremendous support in the spirit of providing genuine assistance to the Haitian people in the wake of the earthquake. With respect to this goal, he said it was his duty to inform the Canadian workers and all the friends of Haiti that although the people have mobilized themselves and made sacrifices to assist Haiti, on the ground in Haiti it looks as if not much has been done because international aid largely has not reached those who need it most. The victims of the earthquake are still in the streets, hungry and lacking the most basic necessities and they are now facing the prospect of the upcoming torrential rains and hurricanes without even temporary shelters that can resist the weather. He said that this situation is due to many factors, one of them being that foreign powers like the U.S. have taken complete control of the country with a military occupation of over 20,000 troops and have concentrated the decision-making power as to what happens to the aid in their hands. The Haitian government has abdicated its responsibility to assist the people. It is neither coordinating nor exercising control over the NGOs, which have proliferated in the country from about 1,000 before the earthquake to over 10,000 today. The second goal of the tour, Raphel said, is to campaign for international assistance that upholds the dignity of the Haitian people. While those NGOs which are doing positive work should continue to be supported, the thrust of the assistance must be shifted to bilateral relations between the Haitian organizations doing work on the ground, workers' unions, peasant organizations and human rights organizations and corresponding organizations in Canada and the world. The Haitian people know what aid they need, Raphael stated, and organizations abroad have to work with the Haitian organizations to determine what aid is to be given and how. As far as governments are concerned, those who want to genuinely assist have found a way to do so, for example, the Cuban government and the government of the Dominican Republic. Raphael maintained that people have to put pressure on their own governments to make sure that they provide genuine assistance in the spirit of upholding the dignity of the Haitian people. The tour's third goal is to ask for the solidarity of Canadian workers in the fight for a reconstruction of Haiti centred on the delivery of public services that must be defended and extended. He described the situation in Haiti: 85 percent of the educational system is in private hands; less than 15 percent of the country has electricity; the population lacks access to potable water; the means of communications are a luxury. Haiti must be rebuilt around the delivery of public services, he said, and by actively involving the workers and the broad masses of the Haitian people in deciding how the reconstruction is to take place. Dukens pointed out that destructive neo-liberal policies were already devastating the country before the earthquake and the tragedy of the earthquake is being used by institutions such as the World Bank and others to demand even more privatization and the further dismantling of public services. The "International Donors Conference Towards a New Future for Haiti," the plan released at the end of March, is not a plan for and by the Haitians, he argued. The Haitian people and their organizations had no say in this plan. Even the Mayor of Port-au-Prince had to go on the Internet to learn that the plan was for the reconstruction of the country's capital. This plan is going to make things worse for the Haitian people. The Haitian people are not asking for charity but for solidarity. Raphael concluded that while the country needs international assistance to sort out its problems, it is the Haitians themselves who must lead the reconstruction. Haiti does not need foreign troops; he stated, it needs people knowledgeable in reconstruction and it needs help in the face of natural disasters; it needs know-how, it needs financial support that will not enslave the country, it needs solidarity. In the evening, Raphael addressed about 50 people at a public forum. He spoke at length on the history of Haiti, highlighting how coups d'etat organized by foreign powers, especially the U.S., have been a preferred way to deprive the Haitian people of their own democratic project. Opposition to coups organized by foreign powers is one of the key aspects of the fighting unity being developed amongst the Haitian people at this time. In this light, he said, the Haitian people are denouncing the U.S.'s attempts, under the pretext of "aid", to use Haiti as a base from which to spy on and to launch aggressions against countries such as Cuba and Venezuela. Dukens elaborated the role of the IMF and the World Bank, particularly in the 1980s, which transformed Haiti from a country that exported cement and flour into a country that now imports these items; and from self-reliance in rice to now importing more than 80% of the rice it needs. Similarly, sugar production has been privatized and Haiti now imports more and more of the sugar it requires. He concluded by pointing out that in the midst of this tragedy the Haitian people are building their unity for a rebuilding of Haiti which serves the needs of the people and in which the Haitian people are front and centre. A lively exchange followed and participants expressed their militant solidarity with the heroic Haitian people and discussed how they can assist in the current circumstances.
"We're Looking for Solidarity, Not Charity"During the 47th annual convention (April 21-24) of the British Columbia division of the Canadian Union of Public Employees, CUPE Communications sat down with international guest speaker Dukens Raphael, secretary-general of the Confederation of Public and Private Sector Workers of Haiti (CTSP). The interview was conducted with the translation assistance of CoDevelopment Canada's Carol Wood. ***CUPE: What is the current state of the rebuilding effort in Haiti? Dukens Raphael: As you know, there were about 300,000 deaths, and the electricity and telecommunications infrastructure -- in 75 to 80 per cent of Port au Prince -- has been destroyed. There's been some effort around reestablishing the electrical system. Phone service has been reestablished to a certain extent for cell phones, but land lines are not working, and potable water, drinkable water, has not been established in the areas affected by the earthquake. About two million people are living in tents, with no shelter. There are a lot of delinquents and insecurity. People are not safe. Obviously, if you're living in a huge tent area, people are stealing things, there's promiscuity, et cetera. But everything I've been talking about is not the hardest part. The hardest part for people right now is the psychosis of fear, because the rainy season has started already. When the rains come, the tents won't hold. So the rain starts, then right after that, it's hurricane season starting in June. So we are anticipating that the situation will get worse. The reaction of the people in government, instead of coming forward with more sturdy tents that would be more stable for people in this season, was to just spend millions of dollars on regular tents. And they're not going to be useful. CUPE: How have you been affected, personally? DR: Everybody has been affected, from labour leaders to workers. Our union offices were completely destroyed. Over eighty per cent of schools have been destroyed. For example, in the state university where most students go, there were 13 faculties and nine were completely destroyed. The four that are left are too dangerous to go into. It's the same with the health sector. Hospitals have been destroyed. In all sectors, the damage has hit everyone. So the most urgent need right away is proper shelter for the rainy and hurricane season. The second priority would be to better coordinate the support that's coming into Haiti. People who need it most are complaining every day on television or radio that they are not receiving the help. Much of the material aid that has arrived can be found on the streets for sale. So there's been a lot of aid that has arrived in the country, but that's not the problem -- it's that it's not getting to the people who need it. CUPE: Whose fault is that? DR: It's a problem with the state. Everyone (aid agencies) just arrives and they do what they want. There's no regulation. The state needs to take responsibility and say who is doing what, and where? CUPE: Is the government even capable of helping, given that it is in such disarray itself? DR: It's true that many government buildings have fallen down. And the government lost a few lives, yes. But the government has the responsibility to direct these things, to take responsibility, to govern. There are lots of things that come out in international media about such ‘disarray', and the government uses the situation as an excuse to not fully taken on the responsibility. Despite this situation, there is a president, a vice-president and ministers, and they are still getting their salaries. So they should do their jobs. If they can't do them, they should leave. What I'm most afraid of is that we may end up with a popular revolt. People can't sleep at night. There is nobody to accompany them. The risk is that we'll see people in the street, to solve their problems. CUPE:
How are civil society groups, unions, and other
community organizations working together? DR: If there's something positive January 12 has brought to us, it's that -- putting aside all the differences and divergences between civil society organizations that we've had before -- we're sitting down together to try and find a way out of this situation. A number of the labour councils and the larger labour organizations (such as Public Services International and Education International) have sat down together. There were a number of commitments made for action. Among those was that we would try to work in unity as labour. The same thing is happening for agriculture workers groups, women's groups, youth groups, etc. What we're getting a glimpse of here is that if the government could work with civil society groups, we could get out of this situation. The problem is that, even though civil society organizations are doing this work, the government just ignores it and doesn't do any work. For example, the Haitian government presented a plan for reconstruction in New York on March 31. But there was no debate beforehand -- no input from civil society organizations. Instead, they're imposing a plan on us. Unfortunately, I can pretty much guarantee that it won't work. CUPE: So, following this meeting of labour organizations, what message have you been trying to send to international organizations, in terms of how they can support the relief and reconstruction efforts? DR: In terms of reconstruction, we state very clearly that the reconstruction effort must come first and foremost from Haitians. We need to decide what we need from you, then we will ask for help. We may need expertise, know-how, but we need to decide what that is first. It's not up to the Americans and the international community to decide what we need. I sit here with you, and yet I cannot tell you what's in the reconstruction plan. Somebody will say we got this plan from the Haitian government, but we don't even know what it is, and we're Haitian. Even Colin Powell, in a recent article, was willing to admit that many of Haiti's problems were caused by the Americans and the French. I'll give you two examples. After Haiti's declaration of independence, the United States was opposed to Haiti's participation in the Congress of Nations. The U.S. didn't want to recognize Haiti as a nation. France, a colonizing country, made Haiti pay to be recognized: 150,000 pieces of gold, which is the equivalent of $20 billion today. But that's a whole other discussion. People say that Haiti is the poorest country. It's not. It is the most exploited. All our resources have been stolen. I like American and French people, but you need to recognize the historic wrong doings that have been committed by the colonizing countries. CUPE: And if they don't recognize this, then they won't recognize how they're repeating the same patterns now. DR: Exactly. The last two coup d'etats -- the 1991 coup that lasted three years, and Aristide came back in 1994, and the next one -- demonstrate this. Aristide made a lot of mistakes, but that didn't justify taking out the president who was duly elected. And we don't want a coup d'etat now either. We're opposed to the policies of Rene Preval, but we want him to finish his mandate so that when he goes, the democratic project process continues. CUPE: Has there been any support from international labour organizations? DR: I can only speak for my own organization. We've had a lot of moral support. Concrete support we've had very little. CUPE: What can we do to help get that aid through, for shelter? DR: Communication and support between unions, within the union movement, is fairly easy. Our union has defined a certain number of needs. You need to know also that within the union movement there's a bureaucracy that slows things down. The expressions of solidarity within the union movement have been very strong. We hope very soon that we will pass from expressions of moral solidarity to expressions of concrete solidarity. So first of all the question of shelter, and a lot of our unions have lost our offices, so we have to reconstruct a place to work. The third thing we have defined that we're looking for is support of the children of union members who were going to university who can no longer attend. We're looking for support so that they can continue their studies elsewhere. So far, the Brazilian government has provided 500 university scholarships, and the Dominican Republic has also offered various types of support to Haitians, including waiving the fees for a year, at the university. I would just ask that other governments and organizations that are able to follow those examples do so. CUPE: What will you tell people in your speech (April 24), and at the forum? DR: I think it's important to thank the people who have made this visit possible. It's an opportunity for us to get our message out to people who might not have heard it otherwise. We're looking for solidarity; charity we're not interested in.
International Donors Conference at the UN For $10 Billion of "Promises"
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