Cuba Launches National Consultation on New Labor Code
On September 8, 2025, Cuba commenced a national consultation aimed at revising its Labor Code, engaging over 13,000 labor groups nationwide, including state and private sectors, cooperatives, and self-employed workers, reports 24brussels.
The consultation will run until November 30, as part of a comprehensive legislative initiative that seeks to address the structural changes in Cuba’s economic model following the 2019 Constitution.
This draft, developed by a multidisciplinary team including legal experts, university representatives, state agencies, and the Cuban Workers’ Federation (CTC), aims to establish an integrative legal framework. It proposes new labor guarantees while reinforcing existing principles, focusing on issues such as expanded access to justice, acknowledgement of emerging employment forms, and regulation of remote work.
Structured in four sections—general provisions, individual labor rights, collective labor rights, and labor administration—the draft emphasizes decent work, cancels temporary contracts for permanent roles, and outlines protective measures for youth, women, and other vulnerable groups.
Cuba’s Minister of Labor, Jesús Otamendi Campos, stated that the reform is underpinned by instruments such as Party Guidelines, the Conceptualization of the Cuban Economic Model, and the National Economic and Social Development Plan until 2030. It also adheres to international commitments, such as ILO conventions and human rights treaties.
The consultation process will feature meetings capped at 100 participants, focusing exclusively on analyzing the draft bill. Participants will submit written proposals, categorized into Modification (M), Addition (A), Deletion (E), or Doubt (D), without engaging in oral debates during sessions. A national drafting committee will statistically assess the proposals for incorporation.
Final approval of the new Labor Code is anticipated in July 2026 by the National Assembly of People’s Power. Deputy Minister Ariel Fonseca noted that the new legislation legitimizes self-employed workers and adds protections for categories such as remote workers, including rights to digital disconnection outside of work hours.
Osnay Miguel Colina Rodríguez, president of the Organizing Committee for the XXII Congress of the CTC, highlighted that this process not only enhances union roles in collective bargaining but also reinforces the principle of direct worker participation in shaping the regulations that govern their professional lives.
