Leobanys Ávila Góngora, from his responsibility at the head of the Provincial Committee of the Workers´ Central Union of Cuba (CTC), assures 26 that these are not times to postpone debates or reproduce slogans, but to act promptly in full accompaniment to any labor collective or worker who experiences any dissatisfaction.

Las Tunas.– “With the increase in electricity rates, the prices of the basic food basket and the demands of everyday life, I am afraid that at some point I will not have enough money for my children's snacks or I will not be able to buy them a scoop of ice cream once in a while, and I have been working since I was 18 years old”, says Amado, a car driver by profession.

Deisy frowns when talking about the new provision of not contemplating the years of service in the salary that educators will receive. She, who has seen her hair whiten in front of the blackboard, feels that so much dedication should be remunerated.

Eduardo was hoping for a larger bonus for medical shifts. Although he has been told that the night shift is included in the new salary, he imagined a higher amount. He confesses it quietly, and assures that in any case his work team spends one or two nights a week at the Guevara hospital with the commitment at skin level, and “this will never be subject to the salary."

Since the beginning of the implementation of the Ordering Task in Cuba, society has been tinged with expectations, disagreements, and also optimism for the times to come. Workers, the mainstay of the country's development, have their voice attached to these nuances, which is why the vitality of the trade union movement is invaluable these days.

The exchange process that has just begun has not taken the CTC by surprise -says Ávila Góngora, the secretary-general. In the territory, we had been trained before, because our performance obliges us to be well informed and we have the challenge of clarifying the new provisions to avoid misunderstandings from the base.

The salary issue has been one of the major concerns that have been evidenced in the individual and collective order in the province. Many of our workers have been dissatisfied with their location in the salary scales and also with the amount they will receive in correspondence with those scales.

We have asked the representatives of the organization in each center to meet with the affiliates and explain the details exactly because the base is the best scenario to raise any dissatisfaction and the role of the union is to make the popular demands heard.

We know that in the area of Education there is dissatisfaction because years of work are not going to be paid and in Health a higher remuneration was expected for the night shifts. We have addressed these scenarios, and we have conveyed to them the decision at the country level to evaluate the issue again when the economic conditions allow it.

With regard to the increase in the cost of lunches and snacks, Leosbanys explained that there has been a lack of timely information in the groups, which has caused displeasure in many places.

An objective balance is required to create a menu accessible to the workers," he clarified, "balancing high costs with lower costs in such a way that the price does not skyrocket. This issue requires creativity, objectivity and will.

It is also up to the union, together with the administration, to demand quality food production. Subsidies are eliminated and, therefore, new strategies are required to put a better lunch on the table, which is intended for workers and their needs must be taken into account.

With respect to cafeterias located in hospitals, polyclinics, schools and funeral homes, it is necessary to be precise when determining the true costs, since these prices do not include electricity, water and rent; and therefore these elements must be taken into account when setting the rates.

The laws have a language loaded with technicalities, which are not always accessible to the population and it is up to the union to take the clear message to the base and achieve cohesion with the factors to be successful in the implementation of the ordinance.

We have been presented with situations of disagreement in several groups and a large number of them have been the result of a lack of information, especially on the subject of incentives, or the exceptionality of maintaining the same salary for those who previously had higher incomes.

Regarding the non-state sector, it must be recognized that the majority of self-employed workers have had an adequate attitude towards the changes. The relaxation of the laws last year laid the foundations and we reiterate that the CTC will always be ready to accompany any popular demand.

Ávila Góngora underlined the importance of dealing with the issues that affect the working masses in the heart of their collective and assured that the voice of the affiliates is the premise that motivates the most the trade unionist directions in the local soil.