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.
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