Pretoria, South Africa.- South African trade unions demanded the end of the economic, commercial and financial blockade the United States has maintained against Cuba for more than 50 years, and the return of the territory illegally occupied by the naval base in Guantanamo.

Those resolutions of solidarity with the island and condemnation to the United States were adopted by the 13th Summit of the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU), a group of workers’ unions founded in 1985 and with a recognized anti-apartheid history.

This promising union group, which brings together about two million members, is part of the Communist Party of the government alliance leading the African National Congress (ANC).

In one of the resolutions adopted at its 13th congress, held in Johannesburg on September 17-20, COSATU draws attention on the intensification of aggressions against the Cuban people by the current U.S. administration.

The need to develop new actions to intensify campaigns in South Africa to support the struggle in Cuba in defense of its sovereign right to self-determination and human dignity represented by the Cuban Revolution, stand out in this sense.

Workers’ organizations such as Nehawu and PopCru, representing the workers of Education, Health and other Allied Unions, and those of police and prison staff, respectively, spoke out for those measures.

The adoption of these resolutions to support Cuba and against the U.S. blockade comes at a time when the sessions of the 73rd period of the United Nations General Assembly are beginning, which will analyze a document on October 31 demanding the end of those punitive measures.