HAVANA, Cuba.-  Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez arrived in the early hours of Tuesday, May 1, in Havana, where he was welcomed by his Cuban counterpart Raul Castro.

According to Granma newspaper, before traveling to Cuba, Chavez signed a new Labor Law at the Palacio de Miraflores, the headquarters of the Venezuelan government in Caracas.

The Venezuelan leader noted that this new piece of legislation was discussed and analyzed with the Venezuelan workers and it is a historic document, “fruit of a long process of struggle.”

The new Labor Law provides changes such as an extension of maternity leave to six months, a four-hour reduction in the work week to 40 hours, and more severance benefits.