国际英语新闻：Raul Castro calls on Cubans to "openly discuss" economic reforms

The PCC congress seeks to strengthen the economic changes initiated by the current Cuban leader, proclaiming that socialism will continue to be the social and economic model in the country.

The economic policy in the new stage will correspond to the principle that only socialism can overcome difficulties and preserve the conquests of the revolution, and "updating the economic model will be based on planning and not on the market," the PCC said.

The island is suffering from a severe financial crisis, an imbalance between salaries and production efficiency, and a deficit of staff in some sectors and an excess in others, according to official figures.

According to the guidelines, the "socialist state enterprise" continues to be the main model, but joint ventures with foreign investment, cooperatives, productive land, the lease of premises by employees and "self-employed" work will also be encouraged.

The congress will take place at the same time as the government is implementing a plan to eliminate more than 500,000 jobs in state sectors and encourage self-employment by allowing Cubans to start small businesses in 178 different professions.

According to Castro's policy of cutting subsidies, the state will not subsidize the losses of state enterprises, and those with sustained losses will be liquidated.

Also for the first time since the triumph of the Cuban revolution, the income of workers in state enterprises will depend on results instead of steady salaries.

"The policy we are proposing is that socialism means equal rights and equal opportunities for all citizens, but not egalitarianism," Castro said. "Work is both a right and a duty, and a source of personal fulfillment for every citizen, and shall be compensated according to its quantity and quality."

The new changes also encourage the unification of the two currencies used in the country, the Cuban national peso (CUP) and the Convertible peso (CUC). The CUC is worth 24 times more than the CUP, and has a value of about 1.08 U.S. dollars. Cuban workers earn their salaries in CUP, while most domestic goods are sold in CUC.