Monday, April 30, 2018

Four May Day comments and declarations from Cuba---May Day Is Our Day!



The following comments and declarations are from Granma:

On November 18, 1959, Fidel stated "… Given its power, given its triumph since January 1, May Day has become a powerful factor, decisive in the political life of the country, because, with the general strike called with the Rebel Army, it was the working class that delivered the final blow to plans to snatch the people's victory at the last moment, as they had done on other occasions ..."

And on April 30, 2009, "We hope that every May Day, thousands of men and women from all corners of the planet share International Workers day with us… Not in vain, long before January 1, 1959, we proclaimed that our Revolution would be a Revolution of the humble, by the humble, and for the humble. The successes of our homeland in the spheres of education, health, science, culture, and others, and especially in the unity of the people, are being demonstrated, despite the ruthless blockade."

And...

"… Given its power, given its triumph since January 1, May Day has become a powerful factor, decisive in the political life of the country, because, with the general strike called with the Rebel Army, it was the working class that delivered the final blow to those plans to snatch the people's victory at the last moment, as they had done on other occasions ..."---Fidel Castro

The following article from Granma has the headline "Honoring working class heroes":

Men and women who have devoted their lives for the benefit of society were awarded the honorary title of Heroes and Heroines of Labor of the Republic of Cuba, presented by José Ramón Machado Ventura, second secretary of the Party Central Committee.

A dozen men and three women were presented this Sunday, April 29, with the honorific title of Heroes and Heroines of Labor of the Republic of Cuba, by José Ramón Machado Ventura, second secretary of the Party Central Committee.

The workers we award today summarize an almost anonymous labor of dedication, integrity and altruism, seeking to exalt the homeland, stated Consuelo Baeza Martín, member of the secretariat of the Cuban Workers’ Federation (CTC), during the ceremony held at the Laguito Protocol Hall, in the capital.

It is our duty to recognize those who have spent their lives producing, serving and creating, she added.

Among those awarded was Sarat Martín Iglesias, who has worked in the selection of tobacco leaves in the 13-18 Basic Unit of Cooperative Production (UBPC), in Pinar del Río, for 45 years. “This title is the fruit of sacrifice,” she noted, “and it has given me more strength to continue working and working for as long as I can.”

“I have dedicated my life to harvesting coffee. 12 or 15 cans a day,” noted Alexis Guevara Sosa, of the Manuel Sánchez López UBPC, in Guantánamo. “And while I am healthy, I will continue working for my country,” he added.

Meanwhile, Ramón León Monteagudo, an agricultural worker from Villa Clara stressed: “This is the biggest thing that has happened to me in the 50 years I’ve been working. And it is the greatest thing that can happen to any worker.”

Also receiving the recognition were José Rubiera Torres, senior specialist in Meteorology; Eduardo Lozada León, head specialist of special works of the FAR Military Projects and Investigations Enterprise; Ricardo García Acosta, a driver at the Jagüey Grande School Bus Station; Valerio Hernández Pérez, a mechanic from Villa Clara; Juan López Palacio, professor of the Las Villas Central University; Rolando Jiménez Valdivia, a taxi driver in Sancti Spíritus; Francisco Rafael Martínez, typography inspector in Las Tunas; Salvadora López Riera, of the Sea Industry Basic Enterprise Unit in Granma; and the Guantánamo residents Anselma Betancourt Pulsan, professor at the Faculty of Medical Sciences, and Carlos Veranes Michel, a crane operator.

Ten workers also received the Lázaro Peña Order in the First Degree; a further 18 received the same Order in the Second Degree; and 16 received the Order in the Third Degree. Meanwhile, three workers were awarded the Jesús Menéndez Medal.

Likewise, the workers of the Architecture Projects Enterprise of Matanzas received the Lázaro Peña Order in the Second Degree; and those of the Felipe Herrera Arcia UBPC, the Agribusiness, Forestry and Tobacco Workers Union of Artemisa, the Sergio Soto Valdés Refinery, and the Sancti Spíritus Energy and Mines Union, were presented with the Jesús Menéndez Medal.

The event was attended by members of the Party Political Bureau Salvador Valdés Mesa, first vice president of the Councils of State and Ministers; Ulises Guilarte de Nacimiento, secretary general of the CTC; Roberto Morales Ojeda, a vice president of the State Council and Minister of Public Health; and Teresa Amarelle Boué, secretary general of the Federation of Cuban Women.


And...

This May Day the Cuban people will lead a massive, vibrant, joyful, and conscious march reaffirming to the world the commitment of the island’s workers to the new government, Raúl, and the Party.

This, according to Ulises Guilarte de Nacimiento, a member of the Party Political Bureau and secretary general of the Cuban Workers’ Federation (CTC), who added that “In order to talk about the impact of the Cuban Revolution, we must, of course, talk about its workers movement.”

Speaking during a press conference held Monday, April 23, Guilarte de Nacimiento noted that the traditional march will be an opportunity to honor Fidel, express support for the updating of the country’s socio-economic model of socialist development, and send a message of solidarity to trade union friends worldwide.

According to the Cuban official, “Unity, Commitment, and Victory,” will be the main slogan of the event set to be led by the Education, Science, and Sport Trade Union, with phrases such as “May Day: commitment to the Homeland,” “In Cuba, a single Revolution,” and “80 years of principles,” also featuring on banners.

Guilarte de Nacimiento added that this year workers are being called upon to “Exploit productive reserves; reaffirm our responsibility to the working class by generating the wealth needed by our people; substitute imports and consolidate exports, in order to turn the complex economic situation currently facing the country, into productive victories.”--Jesús Jank Curbelo

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