112th anniversary of the birth of a great trade union leader.

On May 29th, the 112th anniversary of the birth of Lázaro Peña González, the country’s tobacco workers in particular are commemorating the date because it was in this sector that the great trade union leader began his battle as a standard-bearer for the unity of the Cuban proletariat, an objective which he achieved in 1939 with the founding of the Cuban Workers’ Trade Union and became its first general secretary.

A tobacco-twisting worker, discriminated against because of the colour of his skin and the poverty of the cradle in which he was born, Lázaro became involved from a very young age in everything that had to do with justice and the welfare of his class brothers and sisters, and he demonstrated this when, from the ranks of the Communist Party, he organised strikes and other actions in favour of proletarian unity.

From then on, life in the underground would not be easy, and after the fall of the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista, he occupied the front ranks in the struggle for the consolidation of the working class in defence of the nascent Cuban Revolution in 1959 and its social project.

According to the testimonies of veteran trade unionists who knew him, the so-called Captain of the Working Class, he was capable of debating any issue without imposing his point of view, but with arguments and an innate ability to convince and persuade, he was able to ensure that a fellow worker did not make mistakes.

He called on the trade union leaders to pay equal attention to all workers, irrespective of the degree of participation of some in the tasks. He believed that only in this way could they be attracted, motivated and incorporated into the revolutionary activities.

His talent, political and ideological background were decisive pillars in the organisation of the 13th Workers’ Congress, an event to which he devoted his energies while still convalescing from a cruel illness that would cause his death on March 11th, 1974.

On the dedication and firmness he maintained until his last moments, the historic leader of the Revolution, Fidel Castro, said at the burial of the workers’ leader: «(…) We have not come to bury a dead man, we have come to plant a seed».

Men like Lázaro Peña should not only be remembered on important dates, but in their daily work, and his example and consecration should be a paradigm for every Cuban trade unionist.

As on previous occasions, in Matanzas and in the rest of the country, his birthday is commemorated with special events and mornings, mainly in the collectives of the tobacco sector, of which the captain of the working class was its most significant exponent.

You may be interested in … https://www.cubahora.cu/historia/lazaro-pena-artista-de-la-lucha-proletaria

Written by Yovana Baró Álvarez.