Mask-off outbursts by Maga insiders and most strikingly, the destruction and reconstruction of the presidential seat, with a huge new $300m ballroom, means Trump isn’t planning to leave the White House when his term ends, writes LINDA PENTZ GUNTER
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The revolutionary past, present and future of trade unions in Cuba
Far from being 'banned', the Cuban trade union movement has fought the class struggle in an unbroken line before, during and after the revolution, explains BERNARD REGAN
BEN CHACKO speaks with Knesset member OFER CASSIF about rising political violence, the prospects for peace and his continuous ‘silencing by suspension’
The City is leaning on Rachel Reeves to cut welfare spending — when what’s needed is cuts to all the benefits given to the mega rich, corporations and banks to help them not pay or blatantly dodge their fair share of tax, explains BERNIE EVANS
The choice between two Blairites to revamp the tepid centrism of our ruling party doesn’t even come as cold comfort as we wander the city streets suffering from their third decade of austerity and the fifth of wage stagnation, writes MATT KERR
ANN HENDERSON looks at the trailblazers of the Women’s Trade Union League and their successful fight for female factory inspectors — a battle that echoes in today’s workplace campaigns
HENRY FOWLER puts the strike of public-sector workers in New Zealand in the wider context of deteriorating employment conditions throughout the world’s major economies
MAT COWARD looks back at a protest 105 years ago this month, whose reporting by the media bears uncomfortable similarities with demos today
JANUARY 2019 was the month that the Cuban people celebrated not only the 60th anniversary of the Cuban Revolution but also the 80th anniversary of the CTC (Central de Trabajadores de Cuba/Cuban Workers Central) – Cuba’s equivalent to the TUC.
The Cuban trade union movement has a long and proud history stretching back into the 19th century. The first union, the Association of Tobacco Workers in Havana, was established in 1866 when the island was under the control of Spanish imperialism. In the 20th century the trade unions played a critical role not only in defending workers’ rights but in struggling against dictatorships and repression.
One of the most dramatic actions by the Cuban working class was the general strike of 1933 against the dictatorship of Gerardo Machado, described as the “tropical Mussolini” by the Communist student leader Juan Antonio Mella. Machado, with the backing of the United States, had stayed in office after bending the rules to extend his term.
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