Authors

Discussion

Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara has been caricatured as an idealist partly because of his promotion of international solidarity and voluntary labour in Cuba. Guevara promoted voluntary labour within the Ministry of Industries which he led from 1961 to 1965. Voluntary labour, and its accompanying concept ‘socialist emulation’ have been characterised as both means and ends, rather than as part of a complex of policy instruments designed to increase productivity and efficiency while undermining the operation of the capitalist mechanisms in transition to socialism. In fact, Guevara advocating these practices for promoting the notion of work as a social duty and for breaking the link between labour and remuneration, undermining the operation of the law of value. Voluntary labour became embedded in Cuba, taking on multiple expressions and forms. Focusing on the Cuban experience, this paper will discuss the link between voluntary labour, solidarity and debates about socialist political economy.