Cargando...With the review of nearly 97,000 proposals collected during the process of analyzing the draft Labor Code in workplaces across the country, the commission in charge is currently preparing the document that will be submitted to the Cuban Parliament for examination next July, according to the legislative schedule planned for this year.
At a press conference held Thursday at the headquarters of the Workers’ Central Union of Cuba (), Leovanis Ávila Góngora, member of the Organizing Commission of the 22nd Congress of the union, highlighted that despite the impact of Hurricane Melissa in eastern Cuba and the spread of arboviral diseases in the country, almost 41,000 meetings were held—about 1,400 more than initially planned—with the participation of just over two million workers.
The process, which began in early September, was carried out with the aim of ensuring the participation of workers, whether union members or not, and to guarantee the improvement of the draft with a view to a legal norm conceived for and by the workers.
He also emphasized the importance of meetings held not only in the state sector, but also among non-agricultural cooperatives, MSMEs, self-employed workers, and joint ventures.
Among the main topics discussed in the meetings were the employer’s authority to grant unpaid leave to workers, as well as issues related to the years of social service required for recent graduates.
Perhaps the most debated issue in the meetings was the limit on the hours a worker could dedicate to multiple jobs, and the inclusion of managers and other executives in that employment modality.
The age at which one acquires the legal capacity to establish labor relations, and the exceptions for employing adolescents between 15 and 17 years old, also received broad consideration.
The draft submitted to workplace scrutiny proposed replacing the term “worker” with “working person,” which received numerous critical comments and proposals for change.
Other issues raised included insurance policies to protect workers’ income, their financing and procedures, the concept of “trusted working person,” the extension of unpaid leave to remain abroad, demonstrated capacity, protection of women workers, and the prohibition of fixed-term contracts for permanent tasks. Workers expressed suggestions for additions and changes on all these matters.
It was noteworthy that throughout the workplace analysis, many concerns were raised that were not directly related to the draft text, such as retirement age and wages—issues that coincided with demands expressed by workers during the organizational process of the 22nd CTC Congress.
During the press conference, Yiseilis Ferrer Nariño, Director of Legal and International Relations at the Ministry of Labor and Social Security (MTSS), stressed that the Working Group analyzing the workers’ proposals is composed of university professors, experts from various justice institutions—including courts, the prosecutor’s office, and others—the Cuban Workers’ Federation, and specialists from the Ministry itself.
“Each proposal is analyzed one by one, and we still do not have a final consensus on some criteria such as multiple employment, trusted worker, working person, and others, given the diverse and extensive number of proposals, which complicates the work of the evaluating commission. So far, 33 percent of the observations analyzed have been accepted,” said the official.
She further clarified that “the most important aspect of the Code to be implemented is to protect and ensure that labor relations between employers and those who perform the work take place in a harmonious and coherent environment.”
Meanwhile, Roberto Betharte Mazorra, head of the Department of Social and Labor Affairs of the , reported that the country’s first Labor Code dates back to 1984, and this is the third. “Between both documents, a key difference is the strengthening of the union’s role. Previously, it was stated ‘after hearing the opinion of the union organization,’ and now it is established ‘by mutual agreement,’ meaning the role of the union is increased.”
