April 1 2026

A NUPGE delegation attending the tri-national trade union gathering in Mexico City met with Cuba’s Ambassador to Mexico, Johana Tablada de la Torre, to deliver a message of solidarity with the people of Cuba in the face of escalating U.S. economic and political attacks.

NUPGE President Bert Blundon, joined by NUPGE Board member and MGEU President Kyle Ross to convey the union’s message of support.

“We were honoured to deliver greetings of solidarity to the Ambassador Tablada de la Torreon on behalf of the 450,000 NUPGE members,” said President Blundon. “I wanted the ambassador to know, first and foremost, that the people of Cuba are not alone. Workers in Canada see clearly what’s happening, and they refuse to be silent in the face of these cruel attacks.”

For NUPGE, the meeting with Ambassador Tablada de la Torre was a chance to reaffirm the national union’s position of support for the people of Cuba, made all the more urgent by the escalating crisis.

“The U.S. oil blockade has left the Cuban people struggling with severe shortages of food, fuel, electricity, and other basic necessities, President Blundon said. “What’s  being done to Cuba is a breach against human dignity and a violation of international law. As union leaders, we have a moral obligation to take a clear stand in this moment. NUPGE continues to urge Canada’s government to speak out and to act in support of the Cuban people and we call for an end to the U.S. attacks on Cuba.”

This year’s gathering of Public Services International (PSI) affiliates from Canada, Mexico, and the United States took place at a moment of growing global instability and division. With this backdrop, participants shared a clear understanding that this is a time to deepen the labour movement’s commitment to economic justice, solidarity, and collective responsibility. A major theme was about workers joining forces across borders to defend our common humanity, advance economic fairness and workers’ rights, and promote peace. 

“Lines that should not be crossed are being crossed repeatedly,” Blundon said. “Powerful nations like the U.S. are exerting economic pressure to shape political outcomes, too often at the expense of ordinary people and our hard-earned rights. That’s not something we go along with. Peoples’ dignity is our cause, and peace is union business.”

Delegates tackled a range of common challenges, from workers’ rights, international trade, to national sovereignty. NUPGE’s Blundon and Ross led a session on healthcare and the care sector, bringing a Canadian workers’ perspective to one of the most pressing issues across all three nations, and emphasizing the critical role of public services in building fair societies.