Labor Leader Roberto Veiga Dies in Matanzas

August 31, 2024

Prominent union leader Roberto Veiga Menéndez passed away on August 29 in the province of Matanzas at the age of 87.

Born on November 5, 1936 in the Matanzas neighborhood of Pueblo Nuevo, Veiga's life was linked to the labor and union movement. His revolutionary ideas led him to join the 26th of July Movement.

He organized the Union of Metallurgical Workers in Matanzas. He led the union movement in Oriente and Matanzas. Following the death of Lázaro Peña, of whom he was a friend and collaborator, he was elected general secretary of the Central Organization of Cuban Workers, a position he held for 15 years.

He was elected member of the Central Committee at the First Congress of the Communist Party of Cuba, and to its Political Bureau at the second and third Congresses of this organization. He was also a deputy to the National Assembly and a member of the Council of State. In the final stage of his life he served as a member of the Economic Consulting firm CANEC and as an advisor to several companies.