On Tuesday, 27 September 2016, State Secretary Yasmin Fahimi received a high-ranking delegation from the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC), which was in Berlin at the invitation of the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, for talks at the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs. The overarching theme of the visit to Germany was "justice in the age of globalisation".
State Secretary Fahimi:
I am glad that questions of social justice play a central role for the Cuban side in the reform process that has been initiated. The opening of the state-dominated economic system raises completely new questions regarding how to structure social and labour-market policies. At the same time, like Germany, due to an ageing population Cuba is facing great challenges in the funding of the pension system. I hope that in the future we can start an in-depth exchange on these issues.
In the talks, the State Secretary highlighted the central role of the partnership between parties to collective bargaining agreements. She emphasised that the cooperation with the social partners from business and labour is crucial for the balancing of interests - for example, in structuring wages and working conditions - and the preservation of social harmony.
The Cuban side was particularly interested in the structure and financing of social security systems in Germany, particularly pension insurance, basic economic issues, and German labour legislation. Since the rapprochement between the United States and Cuba, which was initiated in December 2014, and the economic reform efforts in Cuba, the country’s ties to the EU and Germany have intensified.