'Work harder' Cubans told

'Work harder' Cubans told
AP
Thursday 1st May, 2008 Posted: 17:01 CIT (22:01 GMT)

HAVANA (AP) – The head of communist Cuba's powerful labour union called
for more efficiency and harder work in the face of rising world fuel and
food prices as hundreds of thousands of workers joined the traditional
May Day march on Thursday.

The secretary–general of the Cuban Workers Confederation, Salvador
Valdes Mesa, also exhorted workers massed in Havana's broad Revolution
Plaza to adhere to the principles of ailing ex–president Fidel Castro,
the founder of the island's 50–year–old revolution.

"We Cubans have great challenges before us," Valdes told the crowd,
saying workers needed to rout out "inefficiencies and weaknesses" in the
workplace.

Many wearing red or white T–shirts, the marchers flowed down a major
boulevard and past a parade stand, waving Cuban flags and hoisting
banners exalting the Castro brothers. While Fidel's image was more
common, for the first time there were some posters with photographs of
Raul Castro, who was named president on Feb. 24.

Wearing an olive green uniform, Raul Castro smiled and waved from the
stand but did not speak as he oversaw the first major event on the
communist–run island since he permanently assumed the presidency. Some
Cubans had hoped the government would use May Day to announce more reforms.

Since succeeding his brother Fidel, the 76–year–old Raul has lifted
restrictions for ordinary Cubans on cell phones, computers and DVD
players. They can now also rent cars and stay in luxury hotels on the
island — if they can afford it.

The new administration recently began letting small farmers find better
uses for fallow government land, and is making it easier for state
workers to own homes they previously rented through their jobs.
Increases in small government pensions and court employee salaries were
also announced earlier this week.

Many hope the government will soon ease foreign travel restrictions and
authorise salary increases for more state employees — or even strengthen
the national currency, now worth 24–to–1 against the U.S. dollar.

The average state salary is just US$19.50 per month, though health care
and education are free, basic food is subsidised and most people do not
have to pay for housing.

May Day is celebrated worldwide, but few gatherings rival the event in
communist Cuba, where hundreds of thousands march every year.

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