Marking
109 years since the founding of the International Labour Organisation,
Pope Francis sends a video message in which he stresses the importance
of the rights of the worker, each worker in each form of work,
especially as we come out of this Covid-19 pandemic in hope of economic
recovery.
By Vatican News staff writer
Opening his videomessage on the occasion of the 109th
meeting of the International Labour Organisation, Pope Francis noted
that in recent months, the organization has done “a commendable job of
dedicating particular attention to our most vulnerable brothers and
sisters”.
Seeking economic solutions for all
During this persistent crisis, we should continue to exercise
“special care” for the common good. The Pope noted that in the last year
“we saw unprecedented loss of employment all over the world” making the
crisis an economic one at a global level.
As we look for solutions to returning to a greater post-pandemic
economic activity, Pope Francis asks that we avoid any form of
discrimination, including “consumerism” or “nationalism”. “We must look
for solutions that will help us build a new future of work based on
decent and dignified working conditions” always “promoting the common
good”.
On this note, the Pope continued, we are called to prioritise our
response to workers on the margins of the labour market who are still
affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Migrants and vulnerable workers
Among these are migrants, notes the Pope, who are vicitms of “this
philosophy of exclusion that we have become accustomed to imposing in
our societies”. Migrants, in fact, along with other vulnerable workers
and their families “usually remain excluded from access to national
health promotion, disease prevention, treatment and care programmes, as
well as financial protection plans and psychosocial services”. Pope
Francis warned that this exclusion complicates dealing with the Covid-19
pandemic, increasing the risk of outbreaks which pose an additional
threat to public health.
Key concerns
Pope Francis then went on to express a few of his key concerns.
Firstly, he began, “it is the fundamental mission of the Church to
appeal to everyone to work together” to serve the common good “whose
goal is, above all, to build and consolidate peace and trust among all”.
He added that the most vulnerable "cannot be set aside in the
dialogue that should also bring together governments, businesses and
workers".
The Church as builder of bridges
In this regard, he continued “it is essential that all denominations
and religious communities engage together”. The Church has a long
experience of participating in these dialogues… and offers herself to
the world “as a builder of bridges to help create or facilitate them”,
said the Pope. It cannot be that one who has fewer rights or more rights
dialogues with one who does not. The same level of rights and
obligations thus guarantees a serious dialogue.
Protection according to vulnerability
The Pope then noted that “it is also essential to the mission of the
Church to ensure that all people receive the protection they need
according to their vulnerability: illness, age, disability,
displacement, marginalisation or dependency”. Social protection systems,
which themselves are facing major risks, must be supported and expanded
to ensure access to health services, food and basic human needs, said
the Pope.
Respect of fundamental rights
He went on to add that “the protection of workers and the most
vulnerable must be ensured through the respect of their fundamental
rights”, including the right to organise in unions. That is, explained
the Pope, “organising in unions is a right”. The most vulnerable “should
not be negatively affected by measures to accelerate a recovery focused
solely on economic indicators” said the Pope. He added that “here we
also need a reform of the economic system, a deep reform of the economy.
The way the economy is run must be different, it must also change”, he
said.
As we seek to reshape our future…
“This virus spreads by thinking that life is better if it is better
for me, and that everything is fine if it is fine for me, and so we
begin and end by selecting one person over another, rejecting the poor,
sacrificing those who have been left behind, on the so-called 'altar of
progress'. It is a truly elitist dynamic, of building up new elites at
the cost of discarding many people and many peoples”.
The Holy See and ILO
Looking to the future, it is fundamental that the Church, and
therefore the action of the Holy See with the ILO, support measures that
correct unjust or incorrect situations that condition labour relations
and that completely subjugate them to the idea of “exclusion”, or that
violate the fundamental rights of workers, said the Pope.
He noted that we have been reminded by the pandemic that there are “no differences or boundaries between those who suffer”.
“We are all fragile and, at the same time, all of great value. We
hope that what is happening around us will shake us to our core. The
time has come to eliminate inequalities, to cure the injustice that is
undermining the health of the entire human family”, said the Pope.
Regulation in work
It is the conviction of the Holy See that work, and therefore
workers, can count on guarantees, support and empowerment if they are
protected from the "game" of deregulation, said the Pope. Legal norms
must be geared towards employment growth, decent work and the rights and
duties of the human person, he added.
Understanding work
In order to promote this common action, it is necessary to understand
work correctly, noted the Pope. The first element of this understanding
involves understanding work in all its forms, “including non-standard
forms of employment”. The Pope noted that work goes beyond what is
traditionally known as "formal employment". The lack of social
protection for workers in the informal or hidden economy and their
families makes them particularly vulnerable to clashes and they "cannot
rely on the protection offered by social insurance or social assistance
schemes aimed at tackling poverty".
The Pope then turned his thoughts to women. "Women in the hidden
economy feel the impact of Covid-19 in many ways, from isolation to
extreme exposure to health risks". He noted that a lack of accessible
day-care centres leaves workers' children "exposed to an increased
health risk because their mothers have to take them to the workplace or
leave them unattended at home". "It must be ensured that social
assistance reaches the hidden economy and pays special attention to the
particular needs of women and girls", said the Pope.
A dimension of care
The second element for a correct understanding of work is that it
must include the dimension of care. "Work that does not take care, that
destroys Creation, that endangers the survival of future generations,
does not respect the dignity of workers and cannot be considered
decent", said the Pope. Whereas, "work that cares, that contributes to
the restoration of full human dignity, will help to ensure a sustainable
future for future generations".
Every people has its own culture, affirmed the Pope. "It is time to
finally free ourselves of the legacy of the Enlightenment, which
associated the word culture with a certain type of intellectual
formation and social belonging. Every people has its own culture and we
have to accept it as it is, said the Pope.
Seek inspiration in political charity
Addressing the participants, Pope Francis asked that political
leaders and all those who work in governments "always seek inspiration
in that form of love that is political charity".
He reminded businesspeople that their true vocation is "to produce
wealth in the service of all", business abilities are a gift from God
and "should always be clearly directed to the development of others and
to eliminating poverty, especially through the creation of diversified
work opportunities". Sometimes, in speaking of private property we
forget that it is a secondary right, which depends on this primary
right, which is the universal destination of goods, said the Pope.
The Pope then called on trade unionists and leaders of workers’
associations "not to allow themselves to be 'straitjacketed', to focus
on the real situations of the neighbourhoods and communities in which
they operate, while addressing issues related to broader economic
policies and 'macro-relationships'". Trade unions must also guard the
walls of the city of work, like a guard who watches over and protects
those inside the city of work, but who also watches over and protects
those outside the walls, said the Pope.
Finally, Pope Francis reminded all participants that the Church supports them. "She walks beside you", he said.