Cuba cuts workweek, restricts fuel to tackle energy crisis

The Cuban government on Saturday announced emergency measures to tackle a crippling energy crisis worsened by US sanctions, including introducing a four‑day working week for state‑owned companies and imposing restrictions on fuel sales.

Deputy Prime Minister Oscar Perez‑Oliva Fraga blamed Washington for the crisis, telling Cuban television that the government would “implement a series of decisions, first and foremost to guarantee the vitality of our country and essential services, without giving up on development.”

“Fuel will be used to protect essential services for the population and indispensable economic activities,” he said.

Among the new measures are reducing the working week in state‑owned companies to four days—from Monday to Thursday; curbing fuel sales; cutting interprovincial bus and train services; and closing some tourist establishments. School days will also be shortened, and universities will reduce in‑person attendance requirements.

The measures are intended to conserve fuel to support “food and electricity production” and protect “fundamental activities that generate foreign currency,” Perez‑Oliva Fraga added.

Cuba, an island nation of about 9.6 million people, has been under a US economic embargo since 1962 and has faced a prolonged economic crisis for several years.

Washington has stepped up pressure on Havana in recent weeks. The United States cut off oil deliveries from Cuba’s key ally Venezuela following the ousting of President Nicolás Maduro in early January, and a recent US executive order allows penalties on countries that supply oil to the island.

The resulting fuel shortages have threatened major power outages and affected basic services across the country, compounding long‑standing shortages of food, medicine and transportation.

Cuban President Miguel Díaz‑Canel has signalled that his government is open to dialogue with the United States on a range of issues but insists that any engagement must respect Cuba’s sovereignty and involve no pressure or interference in its internal affairs.