End the siege of Cuba! TUC Congress 2026 report
Campaign News | Friday, 18 September 2026
Osnay Miguel Colina and delegates at TUC Congress 2026
Britain’s trade unions welcomed leaders of Cuba’s workers’ movement as they gathered in Brighton for the 158th annual Trades Union Congress. Osnay Miguel Colina, General Secretary of Cuba’s trade union confederation, the Central de Trabajadores de Cuba (CTC), and lead for international affairs Santiago Badia Gonzalez, met with leaders and delegations from across the British trade union movement as Congress overwhelmingly backed a crucial motion on Cuba and once again reaffirmed its longstanding solidarity with the island.
On Monday evening, more than 100 delegates attended CSC’s fringe meeting, End the Siege on Cuba. Colina and British trade union leaders urged delegates to support Motion 76, which condemns US aggression and instructs the TUC to call on the UK Government to oppose US sanctions, reject any US military intervention against Cuba and provide humanitarian assistance to the Cuban people.
Steve Gillan, outgoing TUC President and POA General Secretary, whose union submitted Motion 76 to Congress, stressed the importance of hearing directly from Cuba’s trade union movement at a time when “the blockade has escalated into an attempt to deprive an entire country of fuel and the basic means of sustaining everyday life.”
Addressing the impact on international trade, Thompsons Solicitors Chief Executive Clare Mellor highlighted how “British and international banks, companies, suppliers and shipping firms face threats for conducting lawful business with Cuba, restricting the country’s access to essential medical equipment, medicines and fuel.”
FBU National Officer Tam McFarlane turned to the consequences for firefighters in Cuba, describing the blockade’s devastating impact on his counterparts. “We have heard direct from Cuba that our firefighter comrades are tackling blazes with limited fuel, outdated equipment and failing water supplies due to the blockade. But, as firefighters, we recognise that they will still go in because they know their duty to their people transcends the cruelty of any sanctions.”
Drawing on her experience of visiting Cuba with her union’s 2024 delegation, NEU Deputy General Secretary Sarah Kilpatrick described how pressure from the Trump administration threatens the country’s achievements in education and children’s welfare. “Teachers are keeping schools functioning through electricity cuts, shortages of materials, transport difficulties and problems with food and other essentials. And when teachers and children finish the school day, they go home to exactly the same problems as everyone else – blackouts, difficulties finding food and medicines, and the daily consequences of the fuel shortages.”
TUC Assistant Director Mariela Kohon welcomed Osnay on behalf of the TUC, reaffirming its opposition to the US blockade and warning that the worsening siege was driving a serious humanitarian crisis. She outlined the work the TUC had done this year in response to Cuba’s crisis, including sending a delegation to raise the issue with the Foreign Office.
The pressures on Cuban public service workers were highlighted by PCS General Secretary Fran Heathcote, who spoke about inflation-eroded budgets, processing civil records during power outages and maintaining services amid widespread electricity shortages. Referencing PCS participation in this year’s Young Trade Unionists’ May Day Brigade to Cuba, she stressed the message such delegations deliver: “Cuba is not alone.”
UNISON General Secretary Andrea Egan emphasised the practical contribution of British trade unionists through the Cuba Vive Appeal, which has raised more than £550,000. “UNISON regions and branches across the country have raised money and are currently fundraising to sponsor a 40-foot container of food aid. That practical solidarity is incredibly important. At a time when the US is trying to prevent essential goods reaching Cuba, British trade unionists are helping to get them there.”
In his response, Colina thanked CSC and British trade unions, describing their solidarity as “decisive” in helping Cuba overcome its difficulties. He emphasised that behind the appeal’s achievements are hundreds of trade union branches and thousands of workers whose support will not be forgotten.
Concluding the meeting, Colina called on delegates to support Motion 76, expand the Cuba Vive Appeal and build towards a permanent relationship between the CTC and the British labour movement, including regular dialogue, sectoral cooperation and collaboration among young trade unionists. He received a standing ovation as he reiterated his country’s determination to resist US threats.
On Wednesday morning, Colina received more rapturous applause as he addressed all 600 delegates waving Cuban flags. Demanding an end to US aggression against the island, he told Congress that “Cuba does not surrender.”
Detailing the impact of the US’s siege on Cuban workers, he told Congress that “when the power goes out, it is not simply a question of losing electricity: transport, water supplies, production, and the preservation of food and medicines are all affected.”
Despite this pressure, Osnay celebrated the resistance of Cuban workers. “They are the people who keep hospitals open, maintain essential services, produce food, repair facilities and seek solutions under extraordinarily difficult conditions.”
Colina thanked the TUC, the Cuba Solidarity Campaign and British trade unions for their practical assistance through Cuba Vive, describing this support as a powerful expression of solidarity between working people across borders. “This is what trade union solidarity means to us: workers helping workers, not simply in words, but through practical action.”
The speech also reaffirmed Cuba’s commitment to international solidarity, including support for Palestinian rights to peace, self-determination and respect for international law.
Concluding with three appeals, Colina called for stronger CTC–TUC relations, expanded practical solidarity and continued trade union opposition to unilateral coercive measures. He urged workers internationally to defend sovereignty, peace and the right of peoples to determine their own futures.
“On behalf of the Cuban working class, my most sincere thanks to you, comrades. Let us globalise peace and solidarity, sowing seeds of hope. Let us struggle together for a better world! ¡Hasta la Victoria Siempre!”
Following Colina’s speech, Congress voted unanimously in support of Motion 76. Moving the motion, Phil Hannant of the POA told Congress that the US’s escalation of the blockade is designed to make everyday life for Cubans unbearable. “Our response as trade unionists has to be unequivocal – hands off Cuba.”
UNISON Vice-President Micaela Tracey-Ramos seconded the motion and repeated the call for action. “We must mobilise our members to fundraise for Cuba and redouble our efforts for the blockade to be lifted.” She also spoke directly to the British government: “Do not stand idly by and watch this violation of international law and human rights and send humanitarian aid to Cuba like Mexico and Brazil.”
Equity delegate Sam Swann spoke in support of the motion, hailing the Cuban people as “some of the bravest comrades of our movement’s history.” Sam explained that “Cuba is a country that, for our culture sector, shows that there is an alternative”, however like so much of Cuban society, that sector is facing devastating consequences as a result of the blockade.
PCS’s Bluebell Eikonoklastes said: “Cuba has a right to independence and sovereignty and there can be no excuse for the oppression that the United States has shown to Cuba and elsewhere in Latin America.”
Speaking to the Morning Star, Colina said that the solidarity on show from British workers and its movement “is not just important politically but in human terms, it touches the heart”.
“When we say Cuba is not alone, it is not just a slogan. The warm welcome we have had this week from British trade unionists shows us it is something real.”
Watch Colina's speech in full here.
Watch the motion debate in full here.
Speakers at CSC's fringe meeting
UNISON General Secretary Andrea Egan addressing CSC's fringe meeting
