Average salary in Cuba rose 1 pct last year to $20 a month

Average salary in Cuba rose 1 pct last year to $20 a month

Published June 17, 2014 EFE



The average state salary in Cuba rose 1 percent in 2013 to 471 pesos

($20) a month, which maintains the trend toward slight increases seen in

recent years, according to an official report published Tuesday.



A study posted on the Web site of the National Statistics and

Information Office, or ONEI, indicates that the average monthly wage in

the state economy topped the 466 pesos ($17) of 2012, a year when it

rose 2.4 percent over the previous year.



ONEI figures show that during the last eight years the salaries of

public employees - more than 4 million people according to last year's

figures - have had constant annual raises, though very modest ones.



In 2006, average monthly pay was 387 pesos ($16).



By sectors, construction maintained the highest average state salary in

2013 at 582 pesos ($24), which should change in the coming months after

an exceptional increase is awarded to healthcare workers.



The government acknowledges that low wages are a problem, but observes

that Cubans pay no basic services like healthcare and education, while

prices in many other categories are subsidized.



President Raul Castro has insisted that pay hikes be linked to greater

productivity and that "in the short term" there will be no general wage

increase.



Nonetheless, the government approved raises for the more than 440,000

medical workers that will kick in this month, on grounds that the export

of Cuban healthcare services is today the nation's chief source of

income, worth some $6 billion per year.



Between 2008-2009, certain increases were added to pensions and to

salaries in sectors like the judiciary and education. EFE



Source: Average salary in Cuba rose 1 pct last year to $20 a month | Fox

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http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/news/2014/06/17/average-salary-in-cuba-rose-1-pct-last-year-to-20-month/