Today our program host Cristina Escobar interviews Luis A Dueñas of Scenius, a cooperative for economic services. Worker cooperatives are nothing new in Cuba. Agricultural coops are a central part of the state’s subsidized food system. But until 2011, worker coops were not found in other sectors of the economy. Now, however, Cuba is using cooperatives to decentralize its economy. Some of the coops are initiated by the workers themselves and others by the state. Scenius is the first non-agricultural cooperative dedicated to accounting and economic services like book keeping and filling out tax declarations. Such services are available to both private and public entities. Cuba’s new coops include transportation companies, auto repair shops, beauty salons and technical services. Luis Dueñas believes that the most important challenge is efficiency and that Scenius can provide services that can help other coops turn into an important part of the Cuban economy. teleSUR
