Cuba

The NEU is clear that the illegal U.S. blockade of Cuba must be lifted. We work in solidarity with our sister union, SNTECD (Cuba’s National Union of Education, Science and Sport Workers) and the UK-based Cuba Solidarity Campaign (CSC). 

Background  

Cuba invests more in health and education than any other Latin American country, and for decades, its people have enjoyed health and education provision comparable to many developed countries.   

Yet, despite these considerable achievements, Cuba continues to face an extreme economic blockade which affects nearly every aspect of life on the small Caribbean Island. It is also a developing country still emerging from the COVID pandemic and recent hurricanes and other natural hazards including Hurricane Mellisa which tore through Cuba’s eastern region last October.

Following recent US military action against Venezuela and public threats directed at other sovereign nations, President Trump has declared that Cuba is ‘next’. The country now faces unprecedented threats to its sovereignty, security and right to self-determination.

Solidarity actions 

Support the Cuba Solidarity Campaign

The NEU works closely with the Cuba Solidarity Campaign, and we encourage all districts to affiliate with the campaign. This is a vital way to support CSC’s work and build solidarity links with the people of Cuba. 

Check whether your district is already affiliated here. If not, download an affiliation form here.  

End the siege on Cuba – Ask your MP to sign EDM 2739

Early Day Motion (EDM) 2739 calls on the British Government to oppose President Trump’s new executive order and sanctions which are causing widespread hardship to the Cuban people.  

More than 100 MPs have so far signed the EDM, which calls on the the UK Government to uphold international law and oppose Trump’s sanctions against Cuba.

E-mail your MP to demand that the British Government act now to prevent a humanitarian crisis in Cuba

Donate to the Cuba Vive – Medical aid appeal

Help break the blockade on health. Support and donate to the Cuba Vive appeal 

Cuba’s commitment to health as a human right has helped the country achieve a world-renowned health service. Yet today, these achievements are under threat from the blockade and US sanctions.

Cuba Vive is a medical aid appeal to send life-saving medicines, surgical supplies and other vital medical aid to Cuba. As of March 2026, the appeal has raised over £280,000 to deliver urgent medical supplies.

With shortages worsening and fuel restrictions affecting both food distribution and healthcare services, Cuba Vive has expanded to include emergency food aid alongside medical supplies.

No to intervention in Cuba and Latin America

Any attack against Cuba would be a violation of international law, the UN Charter and undermine regional peace and stability.

More than 100 British MPs and numerous public figures have endorsed a call for peace, sovereignty and social justice across Latin America.

Add your name to the Call for Peace and Sovereignty and stand against war and intervention.

The NEU and Cuba

Campaigning to end the blockade   

The NEU has for many years campaigned for the lifting of the illegal blockade of Cuba. The U.S. blockade of Cuba has continued for over 60 years and has been condemned by almost every government in the world. The implications of the blockade are far-reaching, with the most devastating impact on vulnerable groups, including women, children and people with disabilities.   

In October 2025, the United Nations General Assembly, once again voted overwhelmingly in support of a resolution calling for an end to the 63-year-long economic and financial blockade. 

Viva la Educación  

Due to the blockade - and despite Cuba spending almost 10 per cent of its GDP on education - educational resources, including specialised equipment such as braille machines as well as pens, pencils and notebooks, are in short supply. As a result, Cuban students and teachers often have to make do without many of the basic classroom necessities.     

In 2022/23, NEU members raised more than £100,000 for vital education materials via our Viva la Educación campaign with the Cuba Solidarity Campaign. The funds raised enabled two 40-ft shipping containers of educational equipment, musical instruments, sports kit, and other items to be shipped to Cuba in April 2023.  

Learning from Cuba’s education system  

Each year in the October half-term, the union sends a delegation of NEU members to visit Cuba and discover how the country provides free, universal, quality education in the face of the blockade. Delegates fundraise and bring with them material aid in the form of medical supplies, Braille machines, learning materials and sports equipment – all of which are in short supply. 

The delegation includes school visits taking in a range of primary, secondary, music and special educational needs provision and meetings with education colleagues, trade unionists, civil society groups, and community, and women’s organisations.  

Delegates learn about the pressures placed on everyday life by the blockade and also bring back lessons around pedagogy and the priority placed on education by Cuban society. 

Read the report of the 2024 delegation

Read the report of the 2025 delegation.

Apply to join the 2026 delegation to Cuba

The Union is pleased to offer places on a delegation to Cuba in the October 2026 half-term, (subject to any travel restrictions or in-country issues at the time and FCDO guidance).

The delegation will include school visits, meetings with Cuban education colleagues and representatives of the SNTECD Cuban educators’ union, as well as an immersive cultural experience.

Further information, including how to apply and the criteria for selecting delegates can be found here. The closing date for nominations is Friday 29 May at 5pm.

Cuba Education Conference  

In November 2025, the Union and CSC convened a one-day conference exploring Cuba’s education system. Among the many speakers at the Viva la Educación Cuban Education Conference were three Cuban educators visiting the UK for the conference and a speaking tour that took them to many parts of England and Wales where they visited schools, attended district and regional meetings and met with NEU members.  

Resources and briefings produced by NEU members and CSC for the conference are available.

Beyond the Blockade book

Beyond the Blockade is a collection of essays on Cuba’s education system written by British educators from their observations and experiences in a series of study tours to the socialist island. 

Publication was funded by the NEU. The book is available to purchase from Manifesto Press.  NEU Members get a discount by entering their membership.

 

Affiliated Districts
Barking and DagenhamMedway
BexleyMerton
BirminghamNorth East Essex
BoltonNorth Somerset
BrentNorth Yorkshire
BromleyNorthamptonshire
BournemouthNorthumberland
BuckinghamshireNottingham City
CambridgeshireOxfordshire
CamdenPembrokeshire
Cheshire EastPlymouth
Cheshire West and ChesterReading
City of LeicesterRotherham
City of PrestonSomerset
Cornwall & Isles of ScillySouth East Hampshire
CroydonSouth Gloucestershire
CumbriaSouthern Derbyshire
DarlingtonStaffordshire
Derby CitySurrey
Devon DistrictSutton
East EssexTameside
East NorthantsTorfaen
East RidingTower Hamlets & City
GreenwichVale of Glamorgan
HackneyWalsall
HaringeyWaltham Forest
HastingsWarwickshire
HillingdonWest Berkshire
HounslowWest Essex
Isle of WightWest Kent
IslingtonWest Sussex
KirkleesWigan
Lancaster & MorecambeWindsor & Maidenhead
LiverpoolWirral
ManchesterWorcestershire
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