The recent update to the salary scale for the public sector, with a particular impact on Health and Education. It seeks to address a long-standing and urgent demand for a living wage for those who uphold the essential pillars of society.
Figures that include total earnings of up to 27,800 CUP for a Level II specialist physician or approximately 19,770 CUP for a general education teacher. It represents a necessary nominal revaluation of professional work.
However, in the current economic context, the real effectiveness of this measure once again clashes with everyday reality.
Increasing the figures on the payroll is useless if the cost of living and the basic food basket are rising at an exorbitant rate. Every salary adjustment in the public sector has generated a rebound effect that accelerates the inflationary spiral.
Although the US dollar exchange rate on the informal market has experienced periods of relative stability. The pressure on people’s wallets has worsened following the elimination of price caps and the exacerbation of shortages.
This scarcity is due to multiple factors. On the one hand, the increasing sanctions imposed by the United States government have reduced the number of shipping companies and entities willing to trade with the country.
On the other hand, the limited supply through official channels has created fertile ground for speculation. The unscrupulousness of those who profit from the people’s needs has caused a liter of vegetable oil to jump from around two thousand pesos to over four thousand pesos. An abusive trend that is repeated with rice, grains, meat, and personal hygiene products.
This phenomenon, which affects not only professionals but the entire population, leads us to ask: What good is a higher salary if the cost of living increases even more?
In response to public outcry, local government authorities have initiated reviews of import chains, transportation costs, and profit margins of economic actors. In addition to updating the price regulation framework in line with recent Economic and Social Transformations.
At the same time, stricter enforcement has been announced through legal decrees. Such as DL 91/2024 and D 30/2021, applying fines, confiscations, forced sales, and the permanent cancellation of licenses or closure of businesses for violators.
These are necessary actions; however, their effectiveness will only be measured when they translate into relief for ordinary Cubans.
As long as salary adjustments are not accompanied by a sustainable increase in the supply of goods and effective controls against market speculation. Monetary increases will remain an illusion, leaving our professionals with the bitter feeling of once again facing the same problems.
By: Leannis Berbén Leyva
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