Great attendance at GMB fringe meeting
Campaign News | Wednesday, 11 June 2025
Pablo Ginarte Sampedro, Jo Pitchford and Barbara Plant at GMB fringe meeting
THE RENEWED assault on Cuba in the f irst few months of President Trump’s second term was condemned by speakers during CSC’s fringe meeting at GMB Congress, the best-attended for a number of years.
President Barbara Plant, who chaired the meeting, decried the Trump administration’s decision to place Cuba back on the US ‘State Sponsors of Terrorism’ (SSOT) list immediately after returning to office. Having visited Colombia and seen the importance of the peace deal that Cuba helped facilitate she described the designation, in part justified by Cuba’s hosting of ELN guerrillas taking part in peace talks in Havana, as shameful. “Cuba should be celebrated for its role in bringing peace to one of the region’s most troubled countries,” she said.
Jo Pitchford, branch secretary of GMB Bolton, spoke about the importance of GMB branches supporting CSC and showing solidarity with Cuba. With her branch having been affiliated since 2016, Jo told guests how she had seen the intensification of the blockade and the impact this was having on ordinary Cubans and members of GMB’s sister unions. Jo praised the work of CSC in that time. “From raising hundreds of thousands of pounds to send material aid to Cuba… to lobbying MPs, to organising delegations, CSC works to ensure the injustice of the blockade remains on the agenda.” She asked her colleagues in attendance to join her in supporting CSC “in the long tradition of GMB’s commitment to international solidarity.”
First Secretary for Political Affairs Pablo Ginarte Sampedro thanked the GMB for their continued support for Cuba, in what he described as “one of the worst economic crises in recent history”. Pablo told attendees that the crisis the island is currently facing is the “direct consequence of the economic war being waged against us.” Echoing Barbara’s words, he described the unjust designation on the SSOT list as “politically motivated, baseless and rejected by the international community.” Despite the challenges, Cuba continues to resist and continues to stand in solidarity with “all oppressed peoples around the world,” he said. Pablo reminded the fringe meeting that “your solidarity matters” and asked delegates to “join us in this struggle”.
With the Cuba Vive medical aid appeal having passed the £180,000 mark, CSC Director Rob Miller closed the fringe meeting with a call to GMB members to help spread the word about the appeal and support CSC sending further containers of life-saving aid to Cuba.
On the Wednesday of Congress, GMB’s London Region helped do just that and raised an amazing £500 with a bucket collection on the conference floor. Later in the week, a special Central Executive Council (CEC) report on international solidarity was presented to Congress by President Barbara Plant and was overwhelmingly accepted by delegates. The report reaffirmed the union’s solidarity with Cuba and support for CSC.
CSC would like to thank the North West and Irish Region for hosting the fringe meeting, the London Region for their fundraising efforts and the GMB for their continued support.
