are Not common in Cuba’s public announcements official measures derogating from other adopted by decree-law in the opposite direction, more so when these are in line socialist to the use and are recent, but that is precisely what just happened in Havana. In an unexpected twist, the Government of the new cuban president, Miguel Diaz-Canel, a modified set of rules restricting private initiative and increased controls on the exercise of self-employment, regulations that had been widely criticized by the population in the last few months.
The rules for “perfecting” the work of non-state entered into force on 7 December, and among the most unpopular were those that restricted the ability of private restaurants to 50 seats per establishment, prohibited the “cuenta-propistas” to have two licenses to practice different activities and forced workers to open a bank account in which they had to reflect all of their activities.
Many of the “cuenta-propistas” and owners of paladares had expressed their dissatisfaction in the seminars organized by the authorities to explain the new regulations, and the business more buoyant had begun to lay off their employees due to the brake bureaucratic that required them to reduce capacity. But, on the night of Wednesday, the announcement of the repeal was real euphoria in these establishments. In a well-known palate Italian, the owner tightened the cuffs and jumped up and down with joy when you listen to the minister of Labour and Social Security, Margarita González: “¡Mama mía! Are saved that they had to leave tomorrow.”
The own González, in charge of defending the restrictions up until a few days before, was the one who released the back on television with the argument that they had taken into account the critical views of the “cuenta-propistas” and that, moreover, it was not to discriminate against workers in the private sector of the state, where it is permissible to moonlighting. The countermeasures were published immediately in The Official Gazette, something that also draws Betist attention, because usually in Cuba, the times legal are most relaxed.
But not only tastes man lives neither of them depends on the development of the country, it has national impact
Although it was not published in the official press, and only knew that the more informed, the change was precipitated Monday in the Faculty of Law, during a visit by president Miguel Diaz-Canel. During an exchange with students and teachers, the heir of Raul Castro criticized outright, the limit of the 50 seats, and the prohibition that a person might not have more than one license, he said that that did not have feet nor head and announced to the audience that he was going to repeal it. At that time, one of the lawyers present there, the audience stood and cheered. With this surprising change of direction, correction, or update as you wish to call it, Diaz-Canel takes, without doubt, the most popular of its mandate, which began in April to happen in the presidency to Raúl Castro, which launched in 2010, the opening of the private sector. That year, Cuba had to 157,000 self-employed workers; today they are 589.000, 13% of employed persons in the country.
Although the range is limited, because it not only tastes man lives neither of them depends on the development of the country, it has national impact and many have read it, in key policy: “Diaz-Canel has known how to listen to the criticism and rectify something that was a nonsense, and in that sense expresses a willingness and legitimate”, commented the owner of a private business is usually critical of the decisions of the Government. He pointed out, in addition, another interesting thing: what is normal until now, when there was a decree unpopular that he decided not to apply for self-defeating, is that it is not executed and point. But I recognize in public, and with laws the bug, it’s a novelty. “And that, in the conditions of Cuba, is something courageous,” he noted.
Until now, the restriction of the 50 seats, there was, but the owners of palates were using various loopholes to expand the capacity, for example by having two or three licenses at the same location. The new resolution establishes that the limit will now be “in correspondence with the capacity of the local”. Many wanted in Cuba for the continuation of this line.
