Raul Castro continues to lighten up on some of Cuba's least popular restrictions, ending salary caps and allowing retiring state workers to take title to the homes they live in. Government employees, including members of the military, sugar and construction workers, doctors, and teachers, will now be able keep their places after retirement, and legally pass them on to their children, the AP reports.
Ending wage limits is designed to boost productivity. "Salaries in Cuba for workers have deteriorated a lot,” notes the central workers’ union secretary. The changes follow recent moves easing access to electronics like cell phones, DVD players, and microwaves, as well as allowing locals to stay in tourist hotels. (More Cuba stories.)