I was watching this episode of Firing Line from 1968, in which William F Buckley and Norman Mailer debate whether Fidel Castro is a great man and whether his revolution helped Cuba. Buckley agrees his predecessor Fulgencio Batista was a despot but says that, in contrast to Castro, under Batista you had more freedom to do things like join a labour union.
If accurate, the irony is obvious. Was this the case? What would Castro's reasons have been for this proscription?
Well, Buckley’s proposition is vastly misleading, and I would be surprised if today’s opponents of Cuba would use such an example.
It is difficult to perceive, being in a capitalist economic system, a world where labour unions are not necessary. We live under capitalist social relations: our economic powers are restricted by our employers, by the market, by the need to be given an income by another person. However, we, as labour, are necessary for our employers, the market and the people giving us an income. In order to ensure we are fairly appreciated and not exploited, or have our rights, we have to form a challenge ourselves. This is why we have labour unions, to challenge the power structure and create a sort of balance, a structure of accountability within the market.
However, imagine if we did not live under capitalist social relations. If there is no capitalist to tip the balance: the workers and the labour have full power. This is the theory by which Cuba’s socialist system works. There is no need for a labour union because the labour already has all the power. Obviously, this notion is very debatable, and I can refer you to some pieces if you would like to continue further research.
Either way, I would not look too much into the structural differences with a capitalist economic system, because a socialist economic system is its own thing. Instead, look at comparisons between Cuba and countries of similar economic development when Castro took over. Then see how it changed, how Cuba improved far quicker in some areas (healthcare and education being the obvious ones) and perhaps not in others (manufacture of light commodities and equipment). Finally, consider the international context within which Cuba made those changes, such as the most severe embargo ever imposed by another country. But, whatever you do, don’t just consider GDP! How much a country sells has little relation to the happiness of a population. Think about how whether Cuba was able to provide basic necessities more than a country of similar development in 1959, such as Haiti. Consider political engagement, civil rights, etc.
I hope this has helped a little.