Stories By Prisca Egede, Labour Reporter.
The Guardian Online.
Tuesday,February 6, 2001
THE relationship between the Cuban trade union movement, under the aegis of
the Central Trade Union of Cuba (CTUC) and the Nigerian trade union movement
under the auspices of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), got a boost at the
weekend, as CTUC offered to train Nigerian trade unionists in Cuba.
The CTUC International Secretary for Africa, Ms. Florentina De Lorensa, said
at the end of a five-day working visit to Nigeria, that the visit will "herald
a new era in the relationship between Nigerian trade union movement and that of
Cuba."
Describing the proposed training programme "as a bilateral programme to
be jointly financed by both Nigerian and Cuban trade union movements," she
said that "it is our own modest contribution to the NLC, to help empower
the union leaders to be able to defend workers interests better."
While reinstating the Cuban peoples commitment toward continued support for
the African continent, De Lorenza, who described "humanitarianism as
characteristic of the Cuban revolution with which we dealt with Africa during
colonialism with the notion that we are not going to carry anything away from
Africa," she noted against the above background that no fewer than 11 Cuban
doctors are presenting doing humanitarian jobs in Africa.
According to her, "they are not just in Africa but wherever they go
they serve in the remotest areas of those countries. I believe this is the
contribution of the working people of Cuba to the working people of Africa. And
it is our belief in Cuba that every other part of the world owes Africa a lot,
because whatever development in all Western World today came out of the sweat
and blood of African slaves, even though other countries believe in the
contrary."
Describing the major objective of their visit as first , to; convey to
Nigerians the sentiments of the working people of Cuba and basically, for
exchange of ideas on how to revitalise the erstwhile relationship between
Nigerian trade union movement and socialist Cuba; and the proposed training of
Nigerian trade unionists in Cuban schools, she said it was an outcome of "this
understanding."
While reiterating the need for continuous training and re-training exercise,
especially in the global world of today, she said that Nigerian trade unionists
will be at liberty to draw up their own curriculum for the programme for the
school as this would be of mutual benefit.
Commenting on her visit, she spoke further: "From my interactions with
the affiliate unions of the NLC and the unionists, I must say we had very
fruitful deliberations and above all, I am fascinated by the clear headedness of
the Nigerian trade union leadership, because they appear to have a very good
grasp of the workers problems and again their evident preparedness to champion
the cause of the workers anyway anytime."
While thanking the NLC for the opportunity offered by the visit, De Lorenza
said in an emotion laden voice, that "I am highly overwhelmed by the warmth
with which I was received wherever I went. And something inside me tells me that
I have my root in Nigeria and I did find a home in Nigeria," adding "I
marvel at the level of enthusiasm displayed by the unionists in seeing that our
bilateral programmes work out perfectly."
In the same vein also, she said Nigerian trade unionists will also
participate in the 18th congress of the Central Trade Union of Cuba holding in
April in Havana, Cuba. According to her, "inspite of our financial
problems, we see the challenge of the congress as worthwhile, we want to use
that forum to bring to the knowledge of the world, not just the problems of
African workers, but also the problems of Africa as a continent." | 