Cuba will facilitate teleworking and the relocation of workers in the face of the fuel crisis

Havana.- The Cuban government asked state-owned companies to facilitate teleworking and the relocation of workers in the face of the serious crisis due to the fuel shortage caused by the US oil embargo, the island’s Ministry of Labor announced this Friday. In a television interview, the head of the portfolio, Jesús Otamendiz, assured that public workplaces must adjust their schedules in accordance with the energy situation of the area in which they are located. The relocation of workers, Otamendiz continued, will emphasize those who work within basic services. The Minister of Labor warned that, if the worker cannot telecommute or be relocated, a “labor interruption” will be applied until their situation is resolved. If this is the case, he stressed, they will be paid what corresponds to their salary for one month. All these decisions, the official added, must be made individually in each firm or state office. The Cuban government approved this Friday, in an extraordinary Council of Ministers, a series of anti-crisis measures in the face of the possibility that the island will be on the verge of an “acute fuel shortage”, just over a month after the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

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Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel acknowledged on Thursday that the situation is “complex” and that Cubans are going to “live difficult times, very difficult“. According to various independent calculations, Venezuelan oil covered 30% of the island’s energy needs in 2025. Similarly, two-thirds of the fuel the country needs must be imported. The U.S. closed the flow of Venezuelan oil to Cuba on January 3, after the capture of Maduro, and on January 29 announced a presidential order to apply tariffs to anyone who supplies fuel to the island. Cuba needs to import two-thirds of its energy needs. The US military operation in Caracas meant for Havana, in addition to the blow to a key regional ally, the end of vital energy supply for the island. Cuban expert Jorge Piñón, specialist at the Energy Institute of the University of Texas, estimated for EFE that, if it does not receive new oil shipments, Cuba would be in a “serious crisis” by March. So far this year, Cuba has barely received a tanker from Mexico with about 86,000 barrels of crude oil. Díaz-Canel confirmed on Thursday that the island has not received fuel from abroad since last December due to pressure from the US.