2009

Monday, September 28, 2009

Dirt Bike Cake Template

End of trip .. Posters

Cuba is certainly a model of society "apart". The social system of Cuba is rich and its qualities in the promotion of equality of access to education, healthcare and housing are undeniable. This allows the island does not suffer from endemic poverty and deadly as it exists in most Latin American countries. Illiteracy is virtually nonexistent, and the Cubans are the best trained in Latin America. With strong prevention campaigns and sanitation, tropical diseases do not exist (Recently, a large mobilization took place from the Ministry of Health against the Dengue, whose expansion is strongly felt in many African countries, which dangerously approached Cuba). Living conditions are far from ideal (see excerpt of the conversation with geologist friend), and serious issues for too long darken the lives of Cubans, including a majority of youth think only one thing from .

Cuba, we must live it, feel it, open it, talk with the Cubans, sit around a rum and listen, listen, laugh too, because without laughter and self-deprecating jokes which flavor of Cuban humor, everything would be much more difficult. We must absorb its realities, through its streets, discovering its artists and writers. Do not deny that freedom is relative, that free expression is not always possible and sometimes punished (there are currently 75 political prisoners in Cuban jails), in and out freely in the country is still a distant dream for Most Cubans (many are still trying to adventure by sea, with means for less precarious), and the opportunity to live in dignity, to many of them, due in large part to "remesas" (Silver currency) sent by any member of the family exiled abroad.
This collaborative project between the General Confederation and the NMP is very interesting for both us and the Cuban trade unionists, he can learn from mutual experiences and knowledge and to discover the realities completely different from that we usually work with. This project can continue on this path and give the Cuban workers, but our teams of delegates, more and more opportunities to learn, and learn from life experiences and work present on both sides of the Atlantic. Hasta la vista.

Urine Stuck In My Uretha

"Fighting against the impossible and defeat"

"Of all the programs of the Revolution, one that pleases me most is the transformation of prisons into schools, because the program is the most humane, most just and most truly socialist. " Fidel

"A revolution with energy. By saving more, we will have more"

"We want you to be like Che." Fidel

"12-hour blockade equivalent to the total annual need insulin to 64 000 patients in the country"

"50 years [of revolution] and continue for ever "

"Freedom now! "

"This absurd first world.
It consumes three quarters of world production"

"It is well way "

" Revolution is unity "

In Cuba, no advertising in the streets, but huge billboards and signs along highways and on bridges ...

Speeches On Compering An Event

Closing Meeting of the visit with the Secretariat of the CLC Construction

After the medals ceremony, the photo behind the flags ...

Last day: meeting with the secretariat SNTC for the findings.

This Saturday, the morning was devoted to the conclusions of this week evaluation project with representatives of the NMP (Sindicato Nacional de los Trabajadores de la Construcción).

Reports of our head of delegation and the representative Rik Desmet CTC Quevedo, exchange impressions of the NMP and the FGTB, thanks to Carlos Sonora, who accompanied us throughout week, and Raul, his chauffeur, who drove around with the van rented for the week. Very positive impressions of both sides. We were very well received in all places visited, compañeros CTC showed great patience and great availability to us. The project appears to be carried out efficiently and very participatory on the part of trained instructors, who in turn provide training in their province and that we had the opportunity to meet the recreational center of the CTC. Surprise

end of the meeting: we see each award by the Secretary-General Quevedo medal "Armando Mestre", named after a hero of the Revolution of '59, decoration usually attributed to workers or union of Construction, which apparently is a sign of great honor in Cuba.

this week allowed us to understand better certain aspects of Cuban society, mainly in operational terms to organize, process worker training, system of payment of wages, protection and prevention, and of course, also to discover informally by walking the streets, talking with people, not always rosy reality of a society that is struggling to live with dignity despite a disastrous economic situation.

Cervical Mucus Cycle Day 23 30 Day Cycle

Housing in Havana: Action Plans

Havana is beautiful, but it falls apart. The beautiful colonial buildings of yesteryear are disintegrating, pieces of balconies are ready to crumble scabrous retained by some vertical beams and stairs are ruined, the walls are crumbling under the onslaught of moisture, roof s' étiolent regularly here and there.
In Centro Habana, where the problem is most acute, entire families live in houses one wonders how they are still standing, open to all winds, sometimes without running water, using tanks and generators to another age.
Hurricanes of rare violence that have occurred recently have made it essential to establish a resettlement policy quickly and efficiently.
Thus, the state has organized, through the Ministry of Construction (MECON), a great plan for rehabilitation and construction. It is organized into two systems: the first is a political construction of residential buildings by micro-brigades of the construction sought by the state: the state enters into a contract for the construction of a number x accommodation with one or more undertakings state construction, which sends and their workers on construction sites. This happens also to any rehabilitation of buildings (painting, repairs, installation and maintenance of lifts, ...). These properties are then used to relocate a number of people who either lost their homes in hurricanes (they have affected some 680,000 homes were totally destroyed and 90,000 on the island), or living in homes too dilapidated for be repaired or having health problems, mobility, family situation ... The other system is that the brigades' micro-social "state caters to families whose houses must be demolished (as in too poor condition) materials for the construction of new housing in areas still more or less virgin Havana. Under the supervision of those responsible for micro-brigades and the Ministry of Housing, and helped neighbors and family, and they participate fully in building their own homes. When they live there, they pay between 5 and 18 Cuban pesos monthly rent (calculated based on revenues), which equates to between 0.20 and 0.75 U.S. dollar.
The mechanism repeats itself and cascaded As, people living in dilapidated homes ranging in the news, while the brigades of state building repair what can be repaired, and demolish the crumbling. When a series of homes were demolished, new ones are erected where families can come and live in homes that need patching.
The objective of this plan is to reach the figure of 10 000 dwellings (re) constructed per year, but the recent global economic crisis has severely hampered the process. It was still possible to build more housing in 3 years (2006-2009: 25,000 new dwellings) that had been done on the last twenty years - indeed, the "special period" saw stop, since the early '90s, any policy on housing.
In walking the streets of Havana, one realizes that there is a famous work.

Sentinel Dongle Tresco

Accommodation in Havana

Top Centro Habana

Streets of Centro Habana

The shoestring

cistern water more tightly sealed

"Danger: Falling roofs"

Saturday, September 26, 2009

Mikomi Card Reader Driver

Exchanges with the Steward of construction workers

Red Dot On Top Of The Foot

painters

Painters building on the outskirts of Havana

The Steward of construction

Seasons Greetings Text

The new payment system Wage

A fundamental transformation is taking place in the Cuban economy. After the first time raised the base salary for two-three years, the government decided to introduce a system of remuneration in the form of productivity bonuses. These premiums may be calculated collectively (increase capped at 30% of base salary) and individually, based on criteria such as number of hours worked, qualifications for the position, responsibilities, and productivity as such. All this through the inevitable emulation.
A construction worker can earn a base salary of 400 Cuban pesos (the equivalent of 15 dollars), which, reinforced by these emulations premiums will reach the end of the month 800 or 1000 pesos.
As we had occasion to observe during the site visit on Wednesday, some salaries are calculated in ways difficult to understand, the workman painter working on a 4-story building that we interviewed winning two times more than working on a 24-storey, under conditions similar security.
bonuses linked to productivity depend also the supply of raw materials, which may be an element highly discriminating based sites where workers are located. Delivery is supposed to be done equally and proportionally to all sites, but there are differences, however, and through.
This payment system productivity, widely supported and defended by unions, seems in general to benefit from the approval of workers. It must be said that wages, despite recent increases in all sectors, remain so low that any measure to make ends months are welcome.
An important clarification: the office workers in the construction industry, whose work is less painful, are located on a salary level the lowest in the industry, and also correspondingly lower premiums (premiums collective ceiling of 15% overall productivity, as against 30% for workers). For example, the salary of a secretary in the offices of a construction company will be 350 pesos, against 530 for a mason base.
The role of instructors in union business includes global and detailed explanation of this new system, its ins and outs, and remedies that exist in the event of a dispute between a worker and direction (the entire production undertaken by a worker, and her hours worked, are included in a registry that tracks the path of productivity throughout the month, and have objective data on which to build when in doubt. This, in theory. It is possible that the real effectiveness of this control is sometimes less accurate.)
A meeting was held in the company prior to the application of this system to explain the objectives and criteria for it, and it is established that if a consensus of workers on the new measure.
A majority of sectors already seems to have approved and implemented. To be continued ...
also

Basketball Referee In Nj

Synthesis visits and meetings Wednesday and Thursday

The "Petrocasas" PVC houses provided by the Venezuelan government in Cuba after the hurricanes last year.

Meeting with the group of trade unionists (from 11 countries in Latin America) training at the Union School in Havana.

Manufactures concrete blocks in Cienfuegos

Signature of twinning between the provinces of Cienfuegos and Tournai, Thursday, 24/09/2009.

Saturday morning. Sunrise over Havana.
Back in the capital after two days in the provinces. Wednesday, always at Havana, visiting construction sites (house painting, maintenance of elevators). Opportunity to meet with union representatives on the ground, and "investigate" on this famous payment system productivity. Wage conditions were very different between the two sites visited, and this gap for these workers on the building's highest - and therefore more dangerous. In this situation, the social inspectors and union representatives have agreed to ensure that this be addressed in the administration of the company. Meeting with the Ambassador of Belgium then, "token". In the evening we had an appointment with the group of Latin American trade unionists met the day before when visiting the school association. Evening rich on trade union battles conducted in the Latino countries, discussion on joint courses of action that could be put in place to unite our struggles, stories questioning ... Thursday, starting Cienfuegos where we met the section Construction of Cienfuegos, with which the Regional Tournai twinned with the aim of a more concrete collaboration and better communication between workers of two unions at the provincial level (Liège is already twinned with Santiago, and Limburg Havana). The discovery of the day was the subdivision of petrocasas, 106 houses built in large part PVC (reinforced by steel structures and cement), and delivered "turnkey" by the Venezuelan government - through collaboration oil physicians cons between the two countries, following the hurricanes that hit the island last year. Y are both relocated to cyclone victims, but also "samples" of people from all professions and all conditions. There are well as doctors, engineers, professors, government members, as people experiencing social and / or difficult family (disabled, elderly, requiring ongoing medical care, etc.).. (See photos).

Interesting project, geographically surrounded by signs promoting the benefits of the union of two revolutions - Cuban and Venezuelan. Two caveats, however: the Cuban government decided to embark on a construction of these houses (the ultimate objective being to reach 10 000 new houses per year), recovered the structure of an enterprise for such purpose, but there is apparently no evaluation of the budget planning expenses for the implementation of this project, purchase machinery and raw materials. Second downside: these homes will they withstand the next hurricane?
follow, so ...

also visit a factory of concrete blocks, primitive working conditions (see photo) in a heat of the devil, they work 4 about a cement mixer: two to fill the tank fresh cement to be placed in the machine, one that spilled the cement in the molds for the blocks, and another that leads to block sun to dry. They work by rotating a half-hour, with a pause between each rotating from 8h to 16h. Like the rest of workers in their majority in Cuba, a dinner is brought to them by mid-day. Average salary: 400-500 pesos (16-20 U.S. dollars).

This morning we will meet the "great leaders" of the CLC Building. This will be our last morning of work, closing one week rich in discoveries and exchanges around the reality of Cuban construction workers.