-DATE-
19880706
-YEAR-
1988
-DOCUMENT_TYPE-
REPORT
-AUTHOR-
F.CASTRO
-HEADLINE-
CASTRO VIEWS ROLE OF CONSTRUCTION
-PLACE-
LAZARO PENA THEATER
-SOURCE-
HAVANA TELEVISION SVC
-REPORT_NBR-
FBIS
-REPORT_DATE-
19880706
-TEXT-
Views Role of Construction

FL0607021088 Havana Television Service in Spanish 0000 GMT 6 Jul 88

[Text] Commander in Chief Fidel Castro, first secretary of the PCC Central
Committee and president of the Councils of State and Ministers, is chairing
the sixth congress of the National Trade Union of Construction Workers at
Havana'a Lazaro Pena Theater.

Speaking this afternoon, the commander in chief called for national
solutions to production problems.

[Begin Castro recording] Without production we can't even talk about masks.
If we don't produce, there will be no shoes, masks, or anything like that.
That is to say, much of the country's economic development and the
availability of all these things we need and like will depend on the
production of the construction workers.

In Moa, at one point, 40 percent of the production.... [corrects himself]
40 percent of the workers were indirect workers.  That's incredible.  I now
see that the Blas Roca contingent has an indirect worker for every 10
engaged in production.  Ten workers.  In other words, I indirect and 9
direct workers in production.  The problem of direct and indirect workers
in production is a very fundamental one. I don't think it's here. [Castro
shows pamphlet to person sitting next to him on dais] I don't know if any
of you who has read it several times or who has written in might remember.
I feel this is a key, key, key [repeats himself] point, a very key point in
the matter of efficiency and production.

The country has to develop.  It has to develop.  And the construction
workers play an essential role in the country's development.  The most
basic of activities is construction, because everything depends on
construction.  Schools, education, health, buildings, hospitals,
polyclinics, and all that depend on construction: Social development
depends on construction. child care centers, housing, stores, bakeries, all
that.  Industry depends on construction.  Agriculture depends on
construction.  Transportation depends on construction.  If the construction
sector does not function to the fullest, all other sectors in the country
suffer the consequences.  If the construction work is not coming along, we
have a disaster on our hands.  No country can develop like that.

So in all these ideas, we must be aware of the vices we must eliminate so
that the construction workers can play a role.  [end recording]

The discussions during the past few hours have centered on whether tools
should be sold to the construction workers, the instability of much of
the personnel situation in the projects, and the completion of construction
plans.  Discussion of the main report is expected to conclude tomorrow.  It
should be approved around noon.
-END-