Cuba adopts new Labor Code to modernize worker protections

The National Assembly of People's Power in Cuba approved a new Labor Code, updating the country's legal framework for work to reflect recent economic, social and technological changes. The legislation incorporates the goals of the National Program for Women's Advancement, the Family Code, the Code for Children, Adolescents and Youth, and other statutes that protect vulnerable groups.

According to Deputy Jesús Otamendiz Campos, the draft was shaped through a broad, inclusive consultation that involved more than 200,000 workers from the non‑state sector, whose proposals were incorporated into the final text. The code strengthens guarantees for employees, regulates emerging forms of employment, and enshrines principles of social justice, equity and protection against discrimination, violence and harassment. It also recognises rights related to maternity, paternity and caregiving, and acknowledges the plurality of management and production models within Cuba’s socialist economy.