SAM DOLGOFF no lessening of the severe food rations in 1973. One of the main resolutions of the 13th Congress of the Cuban Confedera- tion of Labor (CTC) November 1973, restored the wor st features of the capitalist wage system -payment according to output, instead of accord'ing to need. In his speech to t he closing session of the Congress, Castro tried to justify th is policy: « ... paying the same wage for the same type of wo rk without taking into account the effort required to do it, is an equal- itarian principle we must correct ... payment should be meas- ured in physlcal terms according to the complexity and sklll required to do the job ... > In line with this policy, 132 million pesos were allotted to raise wages for technicians i n order to spur them to «increase their productivity» (19). At the first Congress of the Communist Party of Cuba (December 1975) the motto «From each accordïng to his ab111ty: to ea ch accord- ing to his WORK» was displayed in huge red letters. Wages are llnked to work quotas. Every worker is g iven a quota. If the quota is not fulfilled, wages are proportionally reduced. Purchase of scarce appliances (television sets, refrl- gerators, washing machines, etc.) are allotted not ac cording to the worker's need but according to h1s correct attitu de (obey- ing orders, patriotism, overfulfilment of work quo tas, etc.). The faithful wage slave will be allowed to spend hi s vacation at the better resorts and be granted first access to ho using (20). Actually, the 13th Congress of the CTC rejected the rlght of the unions to defend the rights of the workers. According to the resolutions, there are no conflicts. The State, the Com- munist Party, and the unions are partners cooperati ng always to produce «more and better products and services; to promote punctual attendance at work; to raise political consciousness; to follow the Communist Party directives ... > (21). To get a job, every worker must carry an identity ca rd and a file with a full work record of hls «merits> and «demerits>. «Meritsl\ include voluntary unpaid labor; overfulf ilment of work quotas, worklng overtime without pay; postponl ng retire- ment to keep on working; defense of State proper ty; and a high level of polltlcal consciousness. «Demerits> are «activities that negatively affect production; disturb discipline; low level of polltical consciousness ... > (22). 56 09) Mesa-Lago, ibid., p. 43. (20) Mesa-Lago, ibid., pgs. 44, 45. (21) Mesa-Lago, ibid., p. 83. (22) Mesa-Lago, ibid., pgs. 8'7, 88.
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