Revolutionary Learning: Report from the 2025 Young Trade Unionists May Day Brigade
Campaign News | Friday, 6 June 2025
Entering the grounds of the Julio Antonio Mella International Camp (CIJAM) in Artemisa province, 40km outside of Havana, one has the feeling of walking amongst giants of history. Murals dedicated to Cuban military operations against apartheid in Southern Africa, alongside depictions of Cuban heroes such as Fidel Castro and Jose Martí, coupled with the knowledge that the camp has, for decades, hosted delegations from socialist and national liberation movements from around the world, all contribute towards this feeling. It is a feeling that would reappear for me many times throughout Cuba Solidarity Campaign’s 2025 Young Trade Unionists May Day Brigade to Cuba.
Camp & brigade programme
The programme for the brigade was developed by the Cuban Institute for Friendship with the Peoples (ICAP), and allowed delegates to experience a wide variety of Cuban life—both its joys and its challenges. This included visits to Cuban hospitals, biomedical labs, schools, universities, farms, train depots, blacksmiths, and more. We stood where Che Guevara led the Cuban forces to victory at the Battle of Santa Clara and laid a wrath in his honour. We heard speeches from high-ranking trade union officials, Communist Party members and President Díaz-Canel himself, and we spoke with ordinary Cubans about the difficulties of life under siege and blockade.
The schedule was packed, yet what we lost in rest was nothing compared to what we gained in knowledge of Cuba’s revolutionary history and strength from the example of its people and their ongoing defence of their sovereignty. We will take this knowledge and strength with us into our own organising contexts in Britain.
Our delegation consisted of 41 young trade unionists from branches across the country, representing a wide range of unions and sectors. We arrived with suitcases full of aid, primarily medical and educational supplies. In total, the brigade brought together 283 brigadistas from 16 countries. The communal nature of camp life and the brigade programme offered ample opportunities to connect with organisers from around the world, learn from their struggles, and build meaningful relationships with fellow trade unionists based in Britain.
It is difficult to choose a single highlight of the programme, but the May Day March in Havana undoubtedly left an indelible mark on many of us. Over 600,000 people filled the streets to celebrate the Cuban working-class and the achievements of its socialist revolution. Banners and chants honoured the revolution’s historic leadership and expressed defiance against US imperialist aggression. It was particularly moving to witness how much our presence meant to the Cuban people—that even in this time of great hardship and uncertainty, they are not alone in their struggle.
Another personal highlight was the honour of meeting veterans of the Cuban armed forces, including some who fought at the historic Bay of Pigs battle in defence of Cuban sovereignty against US invasion. When asked how they achieved victory despite the invading force being better armed, better trained, and more experienced, the veterans replied that their collective pride and commitment to their socialist project was the driving force behind their bravery and willingness to sacrifice. At the time of the invasion, the combatants were just 16-19 years old—many of them had never fired a weapon—yet they did not hesitate to respond to Fidel’s call and head to Playa Girón to defend their nation's right to self-determination.
In addition to this iron commitment to protecting their right to choose their own path, we also witnessed other defining traits of the Cuban people during the brigade. One of which was their immense ingenuity and creativity in the face of hardship. We learnt how the effects of the blockade and the difficulty it causes in obtaining essential materials has brought about the need for the Cubans to find innovative ways to repurpose existing resources. This was evident across sectors, from rail transport to biomedical science and manufacturing.
This sentiment was perhaps best explained by Cuban Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Fernández De Cossío, during his speech at the International Meeting of Solidarity with Cuba, Anti-Imperialism, and the Resurgence of Fascism: “the Cuban people do not assume defeat, just new challenges, learning from every imperialist aggression.” Aggression breeds resistance, and resistance breeds creativity. It is this creativity that has allowed the Cuban revolution to continue meeting the needs of its people, even in the face of immense pressure.
Solidarity is a weapon
Cuba today faces significant challenges and hardship—to deny this would be foolish. Over six decades of brutal blockade—somehow recently tightened further still by the Trump administration—coupled with the ongoing effects of Covid-19 and the blow it dealt Cuba’s tourism industry, have made life increasingly difficult for the Cuban people. During the brigade, we experienced daily power shortages and witnessed long queues for essential items at banks and shops. At every single establishment we visited—whether a medical centre or a train depot—people spoke of the suffocating impact of the blockade on Cuba’s ability to access vital resources, trade, and finance. There is not a single aspect of life in Cuba that remains untouched by it.
Despite these hardships, the Cuban people remain defiant in their resistance to imperialist coercion and steadfast in their solidarity with one another and with oppressed people around the world. A particularly strong theme throughout our trip was Cuba’s solidarity with the Palestinian cause.
Whether it was through murals and street art in Havana, chants and flags at the May Day March, or speeches by Communist Party members and President Díaz-Canel, Cuba was full of principled anti-imperialist solidarity with the Palestinian people and their right to resist occupation and genocide. This is a historic solidarity based on the fact that the Cubans, just like the Palestinians, know what it is to face colonialism and imperialist violence and refuse to submit, no matter the costs. The Palestinian and Cuban peoples will never accept a life of subjugation and humiliation—a powerful example for all of us fighting for a better world.
Revolutionary lessons
Despite the many challenges of life in Cuba, everywhere we went we encountered the warmth, strength, steadfastness, and joy of the Cuban people. It was clear that they have a deep love for life and pride in the society they have built. This is likely because, in Cuba, society is organised in the interest of the people, rather than in the interest of profit. At universities and farms, we learnt how educational and agricultural priorities are based on the specific needs of the region in which these institutions are based. Production is geared towards meeting human needs, instead of the needs of capital.
Our delegation consisted of young people from diverse organising backgrounds, political perspectives, and varying levels of familiarity with Cuban history. While each of us likely took away something different from the brigade, my hope is that we all carry what we learned back into our own struggles—whether in our workplaces or within our communities—and continue to stand in solidarity with Cuba.
Over 60 years ago, Fidel Castro proclaimed that what the imperialists cannot forgive is that the Cubans had made a socialist revolution right under their noses. Despite immense pressure from those same imperialist forces, that revolution endures today. It is our responsibility in the solidarity movement to ensure it lasts for another 60 years and beyond.
by Jack Noel, Unite the Union participant in the 2025 Young Trade Unionists' May Day Brigade
