Unions raise £100,000+ for blockade-busting medical aid for Cuba
Richard Burgeon MP addresses the Cuba Solidarity Campaign fringe meeting
[Neil Terry Photography] 
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.
Similar stories
Outgoing president Joe Biden had removed Cuba from the list less than a week prior, a long-awaited move that he committed to in his final days in office
The welcome news that Cuba has finally been removed from the State Sponsors of Terrorism list is tempered by the fact that Donald Trump, the man who put it there, is returning to the White House, warns NATASHA HICKMAN
Despite cruel US sanctions, Cuba continues to offer global humanitarian aid and support peace processes, writes KIM JOHNSON MP, urging others to follow Unison’s lead in practical solidarity with the besieged socialist island