• Submitted by: manso
• Politics and Government
• 01 / 05 / 2011

---

Workers in Cuba are coming to terms with sweeping reforms which were due to come into force on Tuesday. 500,000 jobs are set to be cut from the state payrolls by March as the island makes an historic shift towards the private sector in a bid to boost its battered economy.

Its not clear if the process has begun or if government departments were still deciding who should be told to go as Ildeyarda Vasquez Guevara, security guard explained, “It’s supposed to happen today, or this week but no one has said anything yet.”

Its the first major overhaul of the island’s Soviet-style economic model since the 1960s. President Raul Castro’s government has started issuing 250,000 new licences for self-employment and for the first time the self-employed will be able to hire workers. Reaction in the Agriculture ministry has been mixed.

“Where are they going to send me? Being left without a job isn’t a nice thing,” said receptionist Maria Luisa Magana “We know that if there isn’t any productivity, there would be no more increase in salaries. Its a good measure,” was the response of secretary Maria Vega

Cuba has been hit hard in the global financial crisis other measures have included slashing imports. Analysts say Castro wants to reduce the state’s role and its spending while maintaining control of the economy.

Source:www.euronews.net/2011/01/05/