Unions step up support for Cuban Five

Ramón Labañino Salazar, Fernando González Llort, Antonio Guerrero Rodríguez, Gerardo Hernández Nordelo, Rene González Sehwerert.

Unite the Union, the largest United Kingdom and Irish union, set an example for union sisters and brothers in the U.S. in September by stepping up its campaign to free the five Cuban anti-terrorist heroes unjustly held in U.S. prisons. The campaign also demands humane visitation rights for their family members—especially Olga Salanueva and Adriana Perez who have been cruelly denied the right to see their spouses.

Although known here as the Cuban Five, in Britain they are known as the Miami Five for the U.S. city where their arrests on Sept. 12, 1998, and blatantly prejudiced trial occurred.

This action is more than an example; it is an opportunity for U.S. union members. In July Unite the Union completed a merger agreement with the United Steelworkers in the U.S. to become the global union Workers Uniting.

Derek Simpson, Unite joint general secretary, said: “Unite and the UK and Irish trade union movement are absolutely determined to highlight the injustice of this case. We have raised the issue with our colleagues in U.S. trade unions as the vast majority of Americans are completely unaware about this miscarriage of justice that has occurred in their country. This has been due to the almost total media silence that surrounded this case.” (amicustheunion.org)

A special web page for the campaign, unitetheunion.com/miami5, explains the case, appeals for union and individual donations and displays “a short film to mark the 10th anniversary of the arrest of the five Cubans unjustly jailed for trying to stop U.S.-based terrorist attacks against their country.” The video is also available on the union’s internet TV.

A Sept. 12 press statement expressed broad working-class solidarity with the Five and their families. “To coincide with the anniversary of their arrests...UK union leaders including Unite joint general secretaries, Derek Simpson and Tony Woodley, Unison’s Dave Prentis, CWU’s Billy Hayes and TUC general secretary Brendan Barber are calling on the U.S. government to give visitation rights to the families of the Miami Five.

“The Miami Five have spent ten years in prison for gathering information about the right-wing terrorist groups working out of Miami who were responsible for the deaths of over 3,500 Cubans....

“Unite joint general secretary, Tony Woodley, said: ‘This case represents a travesty of justice by the U.S. government who are using the Miami Five to make a political point against Cuba. To deny the families the right to visit their loved ones is totally inhumane.’”

With 250,000 Communication Workers Union members, 3 million active and retired member of Workers Uniting, 6.5 million in the Trades Unions Congress and more than 1 million UNISON public sector union members, powerful new allies are demanding justice at an important moment. A request for an appeal of the Cuban Five case to be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court is being prepared for submittal early this winter.