There is no economic activity in Cuba — in production, services, teaching, research or defense — in which the National Association of Innovators and Rationalizers (ANIR) is not involved.
Its more than 160,000 members nationwide are at the forefront of efforts to channel the ingenuity of working people to keep production and services going in the face of the U.S. imperialist rulers’ escalating economic war against Cuba.
ANIR’s main task is to find alternatives and innovations to save the country’s badly needed hard currency by recycling and extending the lifespan of machinery and making substitutes for imported spare parts that Cuba is unable to get because of Washington’s sanctions.
In addition to the hundreds of daily solutions that Aniristas help put in place that keep factories, water pumping systems, public buses and other infrastructure running, the group has been centrally involved in efforts to increase energy production to alleviate the impact of the U.S. oil blockade.
They play a crucial role in repairing equipment in medical laboratories, dentist’s offices and hospitals. They are in a constant race to keep life-saving ventilators, incubators and CT scanners running.
One example is how workers at the Center for Clinical Engineering and Electromedicine (CICEM) in Cienfuegos repaired autoclave sterilizers at area hospitals. And they figured out how to get a defunct ultrasound machine working by rebuilding its keyboard.
ANIR was established on Oct. 8, 1976, at the initiative of the Central Organization of Cuban Workers (CTC). Its roots go back to the early 1960s when Cuban leader Ernesto Che Guevara led efforts to mobilize workers and farmers to confront Washington’s attacks. As stated by Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Lester Mallory in April 1960, the U.S. rulers’ aim was to deny “money and supplies to Cuba” and “bring hunger, desperation” to its people in hopes they would rise up to overthrow the government. That remains their goal to this day.
On its 50th anniversary ANIR remains a working-class bulwark of Cuba’s socialist revolution. Its work is a powerful refutation of Washington’s claim that the problems Cuba faces are the consequences of a “failed state,” which the U.S. rulers need to “take” over.
“The revolution has been a long and difficult journey,” Tahimí Vázquez Espinosa, president of ANIR in Las Tunas province, told an event to celebrate its anniversary this year. “Always facing a powerful enemy that is determined to suffocate us,” we have demonstrated that “creative work is a form of resistance and a way to build the future.”
‘Wits and wills of thousands’
“You can witness hundreds of thousands of scientific and technical workers cooperating with each other,” Cuban leader Fidel Castro said at a 1992 forum on spare parts, equipment and advanced technology. The “sincere, selfless and enthusiastic effort of hundreds of thousands of wits and wills is invaluable.”
That event brought together thousands of Aniristas, the Youth Technical Brigades and scientists who demonstrated their projects and experiences. The forum took place in the midst of the economic, social and political crisis in Cuba known as the Special Period, which followed the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Castro contrasted the accomplishments of Cuba’s socialist revolution in drawing on the consciousness and commitment of workers, farmers and students to work together for social progress, with the profit-driven values of capitalism, where every institution, research center and hospital “sets up its own tent.”
The capitalist rulers promote the idea that only the lure of private profit can spark human creativity. The Cuban people, led by Castro and the Rebel Army, demonstrated the opposite by overthrowing capitalist exploitation, transforming their consciousness, developing a deep sense of social solidarity, new attitudes toward work, and a commitment to something bigger than their own personal advancement.
As part of this year’s anniversary activities, ANIR recognized workers, trade unions and work centers that implemented “major social and economic impact” projects. These activities took note of the challenge to generalize the knowledge they had acquired to other industries, to work closely with younger workers in their training and to find ways to advance material incentives to involve more workers. A special effort is being made to maintain in its ranks members who have taken jobs in Cuba’s growing private sector.
ANIR now plans to extend its reach outside the factories by joining Neighborhood Innovators Brigades, which will work with local governments and other organizations to tackle projects in the community.
“Each project, each award and result is a conquest of my co-workers and of my Cuba,” said Guillermo Estrada Márquez, a leader of ANIR at the Sergio Soto Refinery in Sancti Spiritus province, when he was given an award.