Podcast

    Cuba to cut 500,000 government workers


    Updated: 2010-09-15 13:45
    Large Medium Small

    Get Flash Player

    進入英語學習論壇下載音頻   去聽寫專區一展身手

    Cuba on Monday said it is laying off nearly half a million workers, an eye-popping figure in any country, but especially in a nation where the government so totally dominates the economy.

    The shift would mean that one-tenth of the island's 5.1 million-strong work force will be looking for jobs in the private sector by April 2011, a drastic change that could mean a radically altered economic outlook.

    The changes are the most dramatic yet in a reform program that began when Raul Castro permanently took over the presidency from his brother Fidel Castro in 2008.

    Raul Castro has warned for years that the state could no longer afford to subsidize every part of Cuban life, nor pay workers who contribute little.

    The layoffs announced on Monday will start immediately and continue for months, according to a statement from the nearly 3 million-member Cuban Workers Confederation (CWC), which is affiliated with the government.

    "Our state cannot and should not continue supporting businesses, production entities and services with inflated payrolls, and losses that hurt our economy are ultimately counterproductive, creating bad habits and distorting worker conduct," the CWC said.

    Yierser Gonzalez, 35, said he would be happy to give up his state job and set up his own food stand, but that he worried about others. "About 100,000 will find private employment, but what will they do with the rest?" Gonzalez asked.

    The CWC's outline hints at more layoffs to come, saying that eventually the government will only employ people in "indispensable" areas such as farming, construction, industry, law enforcement and education.

    To soften the blow, the statement - which appeared in state newspapers and was read on television and radio - said the government would increase private-sector job opportunities, including allowing more Cubans to become self-employed. They also will be able to form cooperatives run by employees rather than government administrators, and increasingly lease state land, businesses and infrastructure.

    Still, Arch Ritter, an expert on the Cuban economy at Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada, said the payroll at state-run enterprises is bloated, a reality that could not continue in a country perennially strapped for cash. Currently the state employs 95 percent of the official work force.

    Questions:

    1. What fraction of the population is being laid off?

    2. Why are the lay offs happening?

    3. What percent of the population is employed by the state?

    Answers:

    1.1/10.

    2. Cuba cannot afford subsidized employment.

    3. 95 %.

    去聽寫專區一展身手

    (中國日報網英語點津 Helen 編輯)

    Cuba to cut 500,000 government workers

    Cuba to cut 500,000 government workers

    Todd Balazovic is a reporter for the Metro Section of China Daily. Born in Mineapolis Minnesota in the US, he graduated from Central Michigan University and has worked for the China daily for one year.

    ?

    色综合中文字幕| 伊人久久无码精品中文字幕| 最好看最新高清中文视频| 久久精品无码午夜福利理论片| 无码人妻少妇久久中文字幕蜜桃| 少妇人妻偷人精品无码视频新浪| 最近的中文字幕大全免费8| 亚洲人成无码www久久久| 无码精品一区二区三区在线| 暖暖免费中文在线日本| 日本阿v视频高清在线中文| 丰满熟妇人妻Av无码区| 亚洲综合无码精品一区二区三区 | 中文字幕日韩精品有码视频| 无码国模国产在线无码精品国产自在久国产 | 亚洲中文字幕无码日韩| 日本高清不卡中文字幕免费| 亚洲精品无码鲁网中文电影 | 精品无码三级在线观看视频| 无码永久免费AV网站| 国产丰满乱子伦无码专区| 日韩乱码人妻无码中文字幕视频| 精品人妻中文字幕有码在线 | 天堂网在线最新版www中文网| 中文 在线 日韩 亚洲 欧美| 免费无码国产在线观国内自拍中文字幕 | 午夜成人无码福利免费视频| h无码动漫在线观看| 国产成人精品无码片区在线观看 | 秋霞无码一区二区| 亚洲ⅴ国产v天堂a无码二区| 亚洲AV综合色区无码一区爱AV| 在线a亚洲v天堂网2019无码| 伊人久久无码中文字幕| 无码国产色欲XXXX视频| 日韩精品无码久久久久久| 日韩av无码一区二区三区| 国产av永久无码天堂影院| 精品久久久久久无码人妻热| 精品无码三级在线观看视频| 人妻中文无码久热丝袜|