By Ariadna Perez Valdes, Ramon Barreras Ferran, Eduardo Gonzalez Martinez
Young people actively participate in all the activities assigned by the union movement like in any other actions. As new members they transmit strength and dynamism to a job that has many years of existence.
Once they manage to have a real relation with their partners, it is really difficult that they abandon their responsibility. It can be priority to represent their staffs, pay attention to each of their unionists and make them feel part of the union movement can be a matter of priority for them.
We have the example of the engineer Denis Escalona Tillet, who is the secretary general of the union bureau of Cienfuegos’ Thermoelectric Company since March 2013. He started working there two years before and the majority of the 425 workers of the entity selected him as direct delegate of the 20th Congress of the Cuban Workers Federation (CTC).
Motivate and Mobilize
The participation of the new generations is a necessary reserve that guarantees continuity. The appointment to be union leaders is in many cases related to their capacity to be example for the rest of the workers.
Denis Escalona considers it is very important for our country, the presence of young people not only as leaders of the union, but also in the administrations and the political and mass organization. “The updating of the economic model of our country needs the participation of the leaders prepared with a great sense of belonging that will be able to motivate and mobilize all the workers in all the activities with their own personal examples,” he said.
“My age does not make my activities difficult as leader,” noted Yordani Perez Barrios, who works in a enterprise of recognized contribution to production, the Enterprise Base Union Pigs (UEB ) in the Cuban western province of Pinar del Rio and has been its union leader for seven years
Yusniel Herrera Castillo is also from Pinar del Rio and has been leaded Micro V UEB number 4 from ECOA 1, and believes “You just have to set that goal. You should be worry about the job, have to make sacrifices, have the disposition to represent your co-workers every time and everywhere.” She noted.
According to Yilianne Alonso Simon, from Pinar del Rio too, and also secretary general of Sensacion Industrial Market union, the key is to understand that not only old people should be the leaders. At the beginning I had no experience at all and I have been in this post for two years.”
In relation to this Yanelys Roman Suarez, secretary general of the Provincial Bureau of the Science Workers Union in the Cuban central province of Cienfuegos, considers the union movement “has to be creative, and for that, youth inspiration is indispensable. Young people should be appointed in the posts. “One of the main goals of work is to give them special attention, due to their importance in the community for the work of the Revolution. But we have been doubtful debtors to motivate and include them in the reserve lists at all levels.
Denis Escalona also thinks this is an issue to debate in the Congreso. “It will be a good change to emphasize how to have a better preparation of the union leaders on the base and be able to motivate the youth, with the adequate tools and methods, to carry out this task,” she stressed.
“We should keep on adding young people; that is the challenge of the union. We are looking forward to find youngsters, who are examples of workers, sensitive to the problems of the workers, empathetic, able to listen to them, brave and trained, constantly studious,” commented Ismael Druyet Perez, secretary general of the Education, Science and Sports Union.
“The union today has the need to give special attention to those starting their lives as workers; they are the future union leaders.”
“They are a fortress as union leaders; very enthusiastic with their responsibilities; polemic and with their reasoning and reflections are able to know it is needed to change styles, methods, and ways to behave in the role of their performance in the union,” Druyet Perez highlighted.
