The Dignity of Work and the Rights of Workers

SOCIAL TEACHING THEME 5

THE DIGNITY OF WORK AND THE RIGHTS OF WORKERS

On the occasion of the 100 year anniversary of Pope Leo XIII's encyclical "Rerum Novarum (1891), Pope John Paul II wrote his own encyclical on the Social Teachings of the Church, "Centesimus Annus."  In that encyclical the pope reaffirms Leo's call for the protection of the dignity of work and the rights of workers; "The obligation to earn one's bread by the sweat of one's brow also presumes the right to do so. A society in which this right is systematically denied, in which economic policies do not allow workers to reach satisfactory levels of employment, cannot be justified from an ethical point of view, nor can that society attain social peace." (#43)

The rights of workers and the dignity of labor are fundamental to the health of any society. Workers must never be seen as mere commodities nor treated as available capital. More than just a means to earn a living, work is a participation by men and women in furthering God's creation. The rights and safety of all workers must be stringently protected. Excessive hours of labor, harsh, unsafe  and unsanitary conditions, and low wages, all violate the rights of the workers. The Church also reminds us that the Sabbath rest is still an obligation for Catholics and must be protected by society not only for the health of workers but to ensure the freedom to worship. While some jobs require Sunday employment, unnecessary work on Sunday still violates the first Precept of the Church: "You shall attend Mass on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation and rest from servile labor." (CCC #2042)

Included in this theme of Social Teaching is the right to private property and to economic initiative. There is also the right to join unions and other associations. The dignity and value of each person is, thus, the goal of all social and economic activity. The poverty that results from low wages or underemployment is a violation of this right. As Pope Benedict writes: "In many cases, poverty results from a violation of the dignity of human work, either because work opportunities are limited (through unemployment of underemployment), or because a low value is put on work and the rights of that flow from it, especially the right to a just wage and to the personal security of the worker and his or her family." (Caritas in Veritate #63)