No, I don’t want to be Cuba for a day, but still:

The changes are the most dramatic yet in a reform program that began when Raul Castro permanently took over the presidency from his brother in 2008 — but which have sputtered in fits and starts since then.
But they were not entirely surprising. Raul Castro has warned for years that the state could no longer afford to subsidize every part of Cuban life, nor pay workers who contribute little. In April, he floated the idea that up to 1 million workers were superfluous and must go.
The layoffs announced Monday will start immediately and continue for months, according to a statement from the nearly 3 million-member Cuban Workers Confederation, which is affiliated with the Communist Party and is the only labor union allowed by the government.
“Our state cannot and should not continue supporting businesses, production entities and services with inflated payrolls, and losses that hurt our economy are ultimately counterproductive, creating bad habits and distorting worker conduct,” the union said.

Update: From a reader:

Jonah,
I was surprised you didn’t jump on the bit about Cuba only allowing one labor union which is controlled by the Communist Party. Youve written a bunch of times that lefties (like that Tomasky guy) say Hitler couldn’t be leftwing because he trampled independent labor unions. I guess that makes Castro a rightwinger?