Increase on pensions will lead to fewer vulnerable people in Cuba

HAVANA, Cuba, Dec 12 (ACN) Marino Murillo Jorge, Head of the Commission for the Implementation of the Guidelines, said that, from the increase of the pensions after the beginning of the monetary order, a decrease of the vulnerable people in Cuba is foreseen.
He pointed out that in the country there are over 1 million retirees, and the minimum pension will increase to 1,528 pesos, the cost of the basket of goods and services of reference.
Those currently receiving 280 to 300 pesos will go to 1,528; those receiving 320 pesos will go to 1,578; those earning 350 pesos will receive 1,628; those in the range of 385 to 445 pesos will go to 1,678; those earning 446 to 500 pesos will go to 1,733; and from 501 on, it will be the current pension plus 1,528.
In the case of social assistance, he said, there is also a scale based on the number of members of the households and if the vulnerability persists, exceptional benefits are designed and during six months each case will be evaluated to maintain or not the protection.
According to Murillo Jorge, the benefit for a one-person household would be 60 percent of the minimum wage (1,260 pesos).
He pointed out that there are 3,228 mothers of severely disabled children who have received their salary since before 2009. The budget for this sector was increased and now this procedure is maintained.
There are a total of 734 protected mothers who have been receiving benefits since that same year and with them an analysis will be made to evaluate the benefits they will receive and all of them will benefit from the recognition as years of service for their retirement, he said.
He added that the mechanisms for granting benefits are being strengthened, including decentralizing the decision-making process for determining vulnerabilities.
On some occasions the solution will be to seek employment and there must be accountability for the work, said the Head of the Commission for the Implementation of the Guidelines.