Egalitarian salaries are to be abolished in Cuba, a government minister has revealed, in what could be the first chance for the emergence of a true middle class.

Employees will have the incentive to work harder for financial reward, effectively ending decades of government control over salaries since the communist revolution of 1959.

With salary caps abandoned, workers will be able to receive bonuses of a minimum of 5% of their base salary. Managers could earn a 30% bonus if the team working below them increases productivity.

Lizette Fernandez, a former dissident who campaigned for a change in Cuba''''s dual currency system, outlined the problems with the salary caps: If you worked in an office in Cuba, you often got paid the same as the person who cleaned the office. Slow and lazy people got the same or even more, because the bosses got their jobs through political connections and didn''''t do any work.

Observers are torn as to how much difference the change will really make, and if there is a more salient reason behind it.

Susan Kaufman Purcell, the director of the University of Miami''''s Centre for Hemispheric Policy, told the Miami Herald the new pay system sounded like another way for the government to monitor the public.

''''''''I don''''t understand how this gives an incentive to work harder, she said. If they really want to offer incentives, they should go to a market economy and let people keep the fruits of their labour. This is going to require increased surveillance, spying and tattling.''''''''

Is she right, or is this the most significant departure yet from Fidel''''s socialist legacy?