Published: March. 7, 2011 at 7:07 AM
HAVANA, March 7 (UPI) -- Cuba is cutting back state jobs as part of its
plan to embrace market economy in stages but still holds at least 100
political prisoners without trial, independent media reports said.
Cuban President Raul Castro announced plans for massive job cuts -- half
a million for a start -- and exhorted Cubans to become self-employed but
the tentative step toward market economy of a sort doesn't square with
the government adherence to policies against dissent, critics said.
The Cuban Commission on Human Rights and National Reconciliation said at
least 100 political prisoners were behind bars and cited "low-intensity
repression" that led to 2,074 brief, arbitrary arrests in 2010.
The overall situation concerning respect for civil, political, economic
and cultural rights remains negative for the vast majority of Cubans,
the commission said. It cited documented evidence of 105 people held for
political or socio-political reasons, compared with 201 in January 2010.
Cuba released a number of dissidents last year after talks initiated by
Spanish and Roman Catholic Church officials.
Havana denies holding political prisoners and brands the dissidents
mercenaries of the United States and accuses dissidents of aiming to
undermine Cuba's communist system.
However, the government's most recent difficulties are the result of
promises made and not yet fulfilled and nearly all related to economic
reforms.
Raul Castro said in a television broadcast a state sector target to lay
off half a million workers by the end of March would not be met.
Instead, he said, a new timetable for turfing people out to seek other
jobs or become self-employed would be announced to soften the impact of
retrenchment.
The ruling Communist Party has called for a congressional session in
April where issues related to the job cuts are likely to dominate the
agenda. The government employs about 85 percent of Cuba's known workforce.
Castro didn't give a target date for the planned retrenchments but said
the government-led economic overhaul would take at least five years to
be fully implemented.
Thousands of committees across the country are looking into ways of
cutting the jobs. Analysts said the irony of the committee network
wasn't lost on those in fear of losing their jobs, as the committee
members would likely hold their jobs longer than those who could go as a
result of decisions by the committees and their superiors. It wasn't
clear if the committees were wholly voluntary or partly on government
payroll.
About 7 million Cubans took part in a total of nearly 130,000 committee
meetings called to decide the fate of government employees.
More tangible progress was made in handing out concessions on
self-employment and private enterprise. Cubans can now apply for a
license to start their own business, rent out space from their homes or
farms and even hire other Cubans, especially in agriculture.
Farmers received additional incentives, including fertilizer and seeds,
if they promised to boost food production.
Despite those relaxations, the state continues to have a say in all
parts of Cuban life but is having trouble getting young Cubans back to
work in the old, regimented fashion.
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