The Decree Laws «On the Special Social Security Regime for the Agricultural and Forestry Sector» and «On the Special Labor Regime for Persons Deprived of Liberty who work inside or outside Penitentiary Establishments» were approved by the Council of State in its ordinary session this Monday, headed by the President of this body, Esteban Lazo Hernández.

The first of these regulatory provisions extends the coverage of social security protection to the agricultural and forestry sector, by means of a single special regime, of a contributory nature, which covers in a coherent and uniform manner, all the contingencies recognized by the general social security regime in force in the country.

«Its objective is to group in a single legal body, all the subjects of the agricultural and forestry sector, protecting those who do not receive the benefits of the special social security regime, extending the coverage of the risks and standardizing the treatment with the state sector», said Marta Elena Feitó Cabrera, Minister of Labor and Social Security, in her presentation. With the adoption of this regulation, universal social security coverage is achieved for all workers in the country.

Meanwhile, the second decree law issued establishes the special labor regime applicable to Cuban or foreign natural persons serving criminal sanctions in penitentiary establishments, who are incorporated to work inside or outside such establishments during the criminal sanction or precautionary measure of provisional imprisonment imposed.

In this sense, this norm «regulates the legal work relationship established between the person deprived of liberty who is able and willing to work and the penitentiary authority for the development of a subordinate paid labor service; it also applies to those who are serving a precautionary measure of provisional imprisonment in the Cuban penitentiary system; and the activities that are part of the educational process in the penitentiary establishment are excluded,» the text states.

Homero Acosta Álvarez, secretary of the National Assembly of People’s Power and of the Council of State, pointed out that this last provision is deeply advanced and revolutionary, respectful of work as a constitutional right of all persons in conditions to work, of great humanist scope and with a superior normative hierarchy; as well as being in accordance with the international norms that regulate this matter.

The agenda of the session of this body also examined the measures approved as a result of the exercise of the highest audit to the Ministry of Energy and Mines (Minem), developed by the National Assembly of People’s Power from January to June 2022, which resulted in 13 recommendations associated with the fulfillment of its state functions and public policies.

«The body, in order to comply with the recommendations made, approved an action plan with 28 measures, of which 12 are fulfilled, two are in the process of being fulfilled and 14 are periodically checked as part of the Minem’s work systems,» assured Vicente de la O Levy, head of Energy and Mines, at the beginning of his detailed presentation regarding the implementation of each of the recommendations issued by the Cuban Parliament; as well as the actions designed to comply with the policies, programs and projects that contribute to the fulfillment of the Ministry’s state functions.

The Council of State evaluated in special detail the information related to the recovery of the National Electric System, the maintenance and repair plans, the oil and gas production, the investment process, the situation of the labor force in this decisive sector, the policy for the perspective development of renewable sources and the efficient use of energy, among other aspects of maximum interest for the Cuban population due to their direct impact on the welfare of our citizens and the economic and social development of the country.

How is the implementation of the Family Code and the improvement of the activity of attention to the population in the organs of the People’s Power going?

The Minister of Justice, Oscar Manuel Silvera Martínez -together with speakers from the People’s Supreme Court, the General Prosecutor’s Office of the Republic, the National Organization of Collective Law Firms and the commissions of Constitutional and Legal Affairs and of Attention to Youth, Children and Equal Rights of Women of the National Assembly of People’s Power- presented a vast report on the results of the implementation of the Code of Families, in the stage from September 2022 to October 2023.

He went in depth on the main actions developed, with a view to expanding the capacity to respond to the demand for notary and registry services.