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Workers in the Tourism sector in Matanzas are being relocated to other areas and to their own localities of residence.
This is a measure in response to the energy contingency that has led to the closure of hotels and difficulties in transportation from distant municipalities to the Hicacos Peninsula or to the provincial capital, as reported by Periódico Girón on Facebook.
The decision is implemented based on the identification of vacant positions in the municipal Employment Offices, where job offers are concentrated to place available personnel.
According to the publication, the relocation is due to two immediate factors: the closure of hotels and the inability to travel from more distant territories to the main centers or capitals, due to energy conditions.
In this context, tourism workers are being reorganized and reassigned to their local areas to reduce travel and keep them connected to their jobs.
The director of Labor and Social Security for the province, Cándido Lázaro González Valera, explained that the process involves reviewing the available positions by municipality and offering those options to workers who cannot continue in their usual roles within Tourism due to current restrictions.
In that review, it was indicated that some positions that were previously considered alternatives "are no longer an option," which necessitates a reorganization of the job destination towards other sectors.
The publication states that there are 8,175 job vacancies in the province distributed across all municipalities. Additionally, it reports 8,459 workers under remote work arrangements, broken down as follows: 1,765 working from home, 6,400 on-site, and 240 in telecommuting.
González Valera explained that the aim is to expand the modalities in which “the fulfillment of tasks is required rather than the formality of hours worked,” with the goal of reducing the number of occupied offices and the amount of personnel commuting, as a direct effect of the measures adopted due to the country’s energy conditions.
Priorities: education, agriculture, and social work
According to the provincial director, the relocation prioritizes education due to the need for teachers following the decentralization of educational centers, and agriculture because of the importance of food production.
"Complementary activities" such as social work are also mentioned, which—according to the statement—are deemed necessary to strengthen "more than ever today" to support individuals in vulnerable situations, as occurred during COVID.
The note frames this labor reorganization as a response to energy limitations: with hotels closed and mobility restrictions in place, the authorities are seeking to redistribute the workforce and reduce relocations through reassignments and remote work, taking advantage of the number of existing job vacancies in the municipalities.
The energy crisis that Cuba is experiencing has directly impacted the tourism sector, creating a chain of effects ranging from the closure of hotels to the suspension of international flights.
In early February, several airports in the country, including Jardines del Rey in Cayo Coco and José Martí in Havana, ran out of Jet A-1 fuel, essential for air operations
The shortage forced airlines like Air Canada and Air Transat to cancel or reschedule flights, impacting the arrival of visitors and necessitating the transfer of guests between major tourist hubs.
In that context, partial hotel closures and relocations of foreign tourists began to be reported. Testimonials from Canadian travelers in Cayo Coco recounted how hotels grouped visitors in facilities with greater capacity to “save energy,” while Cuban employees lost their jobs or faced uncertainty due to the reduction of operations.
The workers themselves acknowledged that the crisis not only deprived them of employment but also of their daily sustenance, which depended on tips and the steady flow of tourists.
The situation worsened just a few days later when dozens of flights were abruptly canceled, forcing thousands of tourists to return earlier than planned.
Foreign witnesses described the atmosphere in the hotels as an “evacuation”, marked by the concern of travelers and the sadness of local employees, aware that the temporary closure of facilities could be prolonged indefinitely.
The scenes of uncertainty and discouragement reflected the magnitude of the impact that the energy crisis has had on Cuban tourism and, above all, on the families that depend on this sector for their livelihoods.
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