Cuba's Parliament Meets, Discusses Ways to Reduce Imports

Cuba's Parliament Meets, Discusses Ways to Reduce Imports
By Doreen Hemlock | South Florida Sun-Sentinel--Havana Bureau
7:27 PM EDT, July 11, 2008

HAVANA - Cuba's parliament kicked off the first of two session of the
year Friday, with an empty chair for former president Fidel Castro and a
ministry report highlighting efforts to stretch scarce foreign currency
in the communist-run nation.

Some 569 deputies, or nearly 93 percent of all delegates, attended the
meeting, many dressed in shirt sleeves in plaid, prints and tropical
colors -- a sharp contrast to U.S. legislative sessions where members
tend to wear dark suits. The deputies often clapped in unison, and at
least once, voted with a show of hands that seemed unanimous.

Steel and Metalworks Industry Minister Fernando Acosta told the group of
his ministry's recent gains, as it strives to substitute local
production for imports to reduce spending of limited dollars and euros.

But Acosta said expansion is hampered by delays in obtaining imported
raw materials, quality control problems and corruption, such as worker
theft. Average wages for the nearly 54,000 ministry employees rose by
the equivalent of 50 cents a month last year to $18.16 at current
exchange rates, he said.

The session followed days of meetings between parliamentary committees
and ministry officials. On Thursday, Labor and Social Security Minister
Alfredo Morales said the administration proposes to postpone the
retirement age by five years, to 65 years old, to increase the workforce
and better address the challenges of an aging population.

The international press attending the opening session for about an hour.
Highlights of the rest of Friday's talks and a speech by President Raul
Castro are to be broadcast starting 6 p.m. tonight on Cuban state TV.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/cuba/sfl-0711havanadaily2,0,4392312.story