The head of the group, Carl Gentile, National Representative of the American Federation of Government Employees, AFL-CIO said “as progressive trade unionists of the US Labor for Friendship with Cuba they demand the US government immediately end Washington’s economic blockade against the Cuban people and allow fair and free trade between our two countries, end all restrictions of US citizens in order that they may travel to Cuba freely and release the Cuban Five from US prisons.  These heroic Cubans were unjustly incarcerated in our prison
system for attempting to stop extreme right wing elements in Miami from attacking the Cuban people”.

The General Secretary of the Cuban Workers Confederation, Salvador Valdes welcomed the US union activists on behalf of the more than 3.4 million CTC members.  He stressed that so far this year there has been an increase in the number of US unionists that have visited the island.   Valdes said “that is a good sign; it means that the workers of the world are uniting”.
 
He added that the Cuban Workers Confederation is celebrating its 73rd anniversary. Valdes pointed out that the enemies of the Revolution say that there is only one Trade Union in Cuba, “when in fact we have 18 branches integrated on the national level, and our objective is the construction of a new society.”
 
Regarding the economic transformations, Valdes said that there is misleading information in the western media on what Cuba is currently doing in its economic transformations.  “We are not changing our system, he said, we are improving our current socialist system”.  “It is not market economy but economy planning”.                                                                                    
Valdes said that the within the US many right wing elements say that the economic transformations recently approved in the 6th Party Congress are “cosmetic”.  But, said Valdes, Obama has promised to change US-Cuba policy and we consider that what he has currently done is truly “cosmetic”.    

The Cuban union leader stressed that there is a clear difference between the US government and its policies towards the island and the solidarity of the people in the US.  He thanked the research delegation for visiting Cuba and getting a first hand look at the Revolution.

The members of the US Labor for Friendship with Cuba reiterated their commitment in working in favor of lifting Washington’s blockade against the Cuban people and fight for the release of the Cuban Five unjustly serving long prison terms in the US for combating terrorism.

The US unionists arrived in Havana last Sunday and have carried out a program of activities hosted by the Cuban Friendship Institute, ICAP and the Cuban Workers Confederation, CTC.  They will also participate in the massive rally on Sunday celebrating International Workers Day at Havana’s Revolution Square.