In the context of the growing presence of the private sector in Cuba, the Central de Trabajadores de Cuba (CTC), the only permitted union and subordinate to the regime, recently held the Provincial Conference in Pinar del Río, in preparation for its 22nd Congress.
In this meeting, the general secretary of the CTC, Ulises Guilarte de Nacimiento, highlighted the challenges facing the organization due to the increase in workers in non-state management forms, which already represent more than 13% of the economically active population, according to a report from NTV.
"More than 13% of the country's economically active population is already working under a non-state management model. This introduces significant challenges for the union's work, including having sufficient leadership, recognizing these workers, ensuring their organization, and facilitating their unionization," stated Guilarte de Nacimiento, highlighting the regime's intention to control and oversee a sector that operates outside of traditional state structures.
A context of changes and contradictions
The concern over the unionization of workers in the non-state sector does not arise in a vacuum. In recent years, the regime has attempted to adapt the centralized socialist model to an economic reality that demands greater openness. However, these adaptations have been marked by constant state control.
In 2024, the Cuban regime approved new regulations for the private sector, including micro, small, and medium enterprises (mipymes), cooperatives, and self-employed workers. Despite this, on multiple occasions, President Miguel Díaz-Canel has blamed this sector for issues such as the lack of liquidity in the economy, while at the same time seeking to draw it into the ideological fold of the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC).
He has even proposed the creation of grassroots committees for the PCC and the Union of Young Communists (UJC) within small and medium-sized enterprises (mipymes), with the aim of "ensuring unity" and political control in these structures.
The attempt to unionize non-state workers follows this same line of control. Since 2021, union fees have increased significantly, reaching up to 600 pesos annually, which has generated discontent even among state sector workers, who have traditionally been required to join.
This discontent reflects a lack of trust in an institution that, instead of defending the interests of workers, is perceived as an enforcement arm of the regime.
Structural problems and empty rhetoric
At the CTC conference in Pinar del Río, topics such as food production, economic diversification through innovation, and accountability for local administrations were also discussed. However, the speeches overlooked the structural failings of the centralized economic model, which limits both the state and private sectors.
The regime openly acknowledges the lack of funds to pay salaries and the economic crisis facing the country, yet it continues to rely on a narrative that demands more from workers and private enterprises, rather than implementing deep reforms that would allow for greater economic autonomy.
Additionally, in a context of repression against the private sector, such as the recent mass cancellation of business licenses, it is paradoxical that the union speaks of "leadership" and "organization" of these workers.
Control versus economic freedom
The increasing participation of workers in the non-state sector in the economy highlights the contradictions of a regime that seeks to maintain control over an area that demands greater freedom.
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, cooperatives, and self-employed workers have proven to be a response to the state's inability to meet the needs of the population, but they face a restrictive regulatory environment that hinders their development.
The CTC's focus on unionizing this sector is part of a broader strategy for political and ideological control. However, the lack of representativeness of the union and its subordination to the regime raises doubts about its ability to defend the interests of these workers in an economic environment marked by uncertainty and repression.
The intention to unionize workers in the non-state sector reflects both the recognition of their growing importance and the regime's concern about keeping them under its control.
However, in a country where independent trade unions are banned and the state regulates every aspect of economic life, it is hard to believe that this measure will truly benefit workers. On the contrary, it could be yet another tool to reinforce state control and curb the economic autonomy aspirations that this sector represents.
Meanwhile, Cuban workers, both state and non-state, continue to face the challenges of a struggling economy, with little hope for significant improvements under the current conditions.
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