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Unions raise £100,000+ for blockade-busting medical aid for Cuba
Richard Burgeon MP addresses the Cuba Solidarity Campaign fringe meeting

TRADE unions have raised £100,000 for the Cuba Vive blockade-busting medical aid appeal, Labour conference delegates heard on Monday night.

And a packed Cuba Solidarity Campaign fringe meeting at Liverpool’s iconic Casa bar shook the rafters with cheers as Prison Officers Association general secretary Steve Gillan announced his union was pledging another £10,000.

Cuban ambassador Ismara Vargas Walter thanked British trade unionists for their solidarity with the socialist island, saying every delivery of medical equipment, no matter how small, made a difference to Cubans denied essential medicines by the 62-year illegal US blockade.

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