Cubans cannot collect their salaries due to the lack of cash in the ATMs

Baracoa residents must spend many hours in line for days to be able to access their paycheck or retirement funds due to a shortage of cash at ATMs.

A television report showed a crowd of people in front of two branches of Banco de Crédito y Comercio (BANDEC) and Banco Popular de Ahorro (BPA), and although the journalist repeats over and over that there has been a slight improvement, the images and testimonies confirm the seriousness of the crisis.

A doctor interviewed reported that he has been trying to collect his salary since the 8th of the month, to no avail.

“There was a huge crowd of people, there is no money in the ATM, there is only one ATM that pays. Everyone gathers there: the disabled, everyone … and then it is very difficult. If he comes [el dinero] There and here, the staff will be divided, and if the four ATMs are put into operation, it will be faster.

Another factor whose money has been deposited since June 4, suggested that the money be put into the ATM at least twice a day, the residents would be more comfortable.

A Pandik executive confirmed that his entity has only two ATMs in the Guantanamo municipality, only one of which is operational.

Regarding the availability of cash, he explained that they had received a sum of cash in high denominations from the Central Bank, which was used to pay salaries, while those smaller denominations (100, 200 pesos) were transferred to that one money changer.

The crisis of ATMs and currency shortages in the country has been going on for several months across the country.

At the end of May, prof The old man in Havana exploded with the situation, unable to extract money from his meager retirement.

Jorge Luis Rojo Mora, a retired journalist, recounted on his Facebook wall what happened to him when he tried to collect his reduced pension and was told that ATMs and banks had no financial support.

At first he thinks it’s common, but someone points out to him that the new forms of private sales hoard large sums of money, while people like him are left without access to theirs.

“Today, ATMs do not have cash and banks do not provide them with it while people arrive on the day of collection without money, hoping to get income that will not reach them. What hope can we give to those who need their money to cover their minimum needs? “

On May 11, A.J ATMs in several Cuban provinces woke up without cash. According to reports on social networks, the situation has occurred at least in Havana, Ciego de Avila, Holguín and Santiago de Cuba.

In the capital, netizen Jarucha Reyes Vega reports that in the morning she went to an ATM located at Banco de 23 y 8, in El Vedado, and was unable to extract her cash. When I asked the person in charge of the entity, she explained that the ATMs “charge as per schedule”.

“Loaded from 8:30am to 9:00am and no more can be loaded until close to 12:30pm until the ATMs are available until tomorrow, because that’s the ‘pointer’ they have. God, what an irrationality She exclaimed indignantly.

The employee added that they did not have spare parts to fix the broken ATMs, and that there was a lack of cash to supply ATMs and little variety in billing categories.

A few days ago, office BANDEC at Guantanamo enabled cashier payments within bank branches Because there are no bills in the ATM.

Nationally, they don’t have new or undamaged banknotes that ATMs have to use, explained Lillian Rosa Saunders, a regional communications and marketing specialist, because old or deteriorated stick together and emit dust. that damage the equipment.