Salary Increase in Cuba to Benefit Economy and Workers

The salary increase for employees of the budgeted sector in Cuba seeks to boost the national economy and raise the living standard of workers, despite the current upsurge in the hostile policy of the United States.

Cuban president, Miguel Diaz-Canel, insisted the eve when announcing the salary changes, among others, on the need to guarantee a retail mercantile circulation and avoid a rise in inflation.

The president added that it is necessary to control that prices of products and services in the state sector do not rise, nor prices in the non-state sector.

Last week, Cuban authorities announced the increase of the minimum wage to 400 pesos and the monthly average per worker to 1,067, an increase almost twice the previous one.

The measure benefits one million 470 thousand 736 workers of the agencies of the Central State Administration, the local bodies of People's Power, organizations and associations, all belonging to the budgeted sector of the economy.

As for social security, one million 281 thousand 523 people will receive an increase in their pensions.

In this regard, the Cuban head of state exemplified the day before that a Professor of a university will receive more than 1,700 pesos; an Auxiliary One, more than one thousand 600; one Assistant, one thousand 500; and an Instructor, more than one thousand 400.

If one of them holds a management position, the scale then rises, he said.

As for the press, one of the sectors with salaries currently below the average, Díaz-Canel said it will amount to more than 1,300 in case of being a Senior Level I Editor; more than one thousand 200 if it is II; and a figure higher than one thousand 100, if it corresponds to Category III.

The Cuban president emphasized that the new measures will also benefit doctors, nurses, teachers, press professionals, community service workers, among others.

He added that the step taken also aims to diversify and increase exports, replace imports, advance in food sovereignty and promote local development.