Cuba to fire a half million "state workers".

[NAB]

What a remarkable development! But surely those numbers cannot be right? A half million "state workers" are about 10% of the Island's state run labour force??? A country with a total population of less than 12 million souls (barely more than just over twice the population of BC?)
Nab

Cuban government and union officials are acknowledging for the first time that a drive to fire half a million unneeded state workers has gotten off to a slow start.

President Raul Castro announced the layoffs as part of a major overhaul of the Cuban economy, saying the state could no longer afford to pay people who didn't work. The firings amount to about 10 per cent of the island's labour force.

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2011/02/1 ... z1DybUBqnh

[Queen K]

I have no idea what is going on there, but it makes BC's problems look like child's play.

[kompili]

Might be a good thing to look at here in Canada.

[The Green Barbarian]

for all of the clued-out people out there over the years that have informed me in no uncertain terms that Cuba is "the way Canada should be" etc I say

[kompili]

for all of the clued-out people out there over the years that have informed me in no uncertain terms that Cuba is "the way Canada should be" etc I say

I really can't believe anyone thinks Canada should be like Cuba, maybe adopt some of their methods of doing certain things yes.

[NAB]

This really got to me..

"President Raul Castro announced the layoffs as part of a major overhaul of the Cuban economy, saying the state could no longer afford to pay people who didn't work"

What State in its right mind pays people who don't work?

Nab

[steven lloyd]

What State in its right mind pays people who don't work?

Wow! I can hardly wait for the responses to this one.

[grammafreddy]

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/142415.html

Cuba to fire one million state workers
Tue Sep 14, 2010 4:20AM


Facing a severe budget deficit, Cuba's government has decided to lay off over a million of its work force.
Cuba has announced plans to lay off at least one million state employees as part of a move to revive the country's struggling economy.


The Cuban Labor Union announced on Monday that half a million of state workers would lose their jobs over the next six months alone.

The rest will be eventually fired during the next few years, mounting the total number of those fired to more than a million.

Those laid off will be encouraged to become self-employed or join new private enterprises.

This is said to be the biggest private sector shift since the 1959 revolution that eventually led to a communist system in Cuba.

"Our state cannot and should not continue maintaining companies, productive entities and services with inflated payrolls and losses that damage our economy," the labor union said in a statement.

It also said that it is necessary to reduce social spending as well as eliminate excessive subsidies and early retirement.

The Cuban government pays average monthly salaries of $20 to its citizens but it also provides free education and health care and heavily subsidizes housing, transportation and basic food.

The state sector currently accounts for 95 percent of all economic activities in the country.

The government now plans to promote the private sector and allow Cubans to start small businesses.

President Raul Castro had announced layoffs in August, but said they would occur over the next five years.

Castro has launched a few, small free-market reforms since taking over from his brother Fidel Castro in 2006.

MN/FF/MMA