What does Sacred Scripture say about industrial relations -
Slaves, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, in singleness of heart, as you obey Christ - Ephesians 6:5
Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward - 1 Peter 2:18
Whosoever are servants under the yoke, let them count their masters worthy of all honour; lest the name of the Lord and his doctrine be blasphemed. 1 Timothy 6:1
Whatsoever you do, do it from the heart, as to the Lord, and not to men: Knowing that you shall receive of the Lord the reward of inheritance. Serve ye the Lord Christ. Colossians 3:23-24
Pope Leo XIII in 1891 published
Rerum Novarum which said
20. Of these duties, the following bind the proletarian and the worker: fully and faithfully to perform the work which has been freely and equitably agreed upon; never to injure the property, nor to outrage the person, of an employer; never to resort to violence in defending their own cause, nor to engage in riot or disorder; and to have nothing to do with men of evil principles, who work upon the people with artful promises of great results, and excite foolish hopes which usually end in useless regrets and grievous loss.
Now Pope Francis -
"Work should be the setting for this rich personal growth, where many aspects of life enter into play: creativity, planning for the future, developing our talents, living out our values, relating to others, giving glory to God." Laudato Si
"Growth in justice requires more than economic growth, while presupposing such growth: it requires decisions, programs, mechanisms and processes specifically geared to a better distribution of income”
Evangelii Gaudium
The 1992 Catechism
"In work, the person exercises and fulfills in part the potential inscribed in his nature. The primordial value of labor stems
from man himself, its author and its beneficiary.
Work is for man, not man for work. Everyone should be able to draw from work the means of providing for his life and that of his family, and of serving the human community" (2428).
"Everyone has the
right of economic initiative; everyone should make legitimate use of his talents to contribute to the abundance that will benefit all and to harvest the just fruits of his labor. He should seek to observe regulations issued by legitimate authority for the sake of the common good " (2429).
Notice that the quality of the work, hard-work itself and the work ethic of employees, with his commitment to his employment as his commitment to Christ - that importance is diminished.
Instead of St Joseph the Carpenter, we are presented with more socialistic ideas. All rights, few obligations. Now wonder there is so much confusion in society. "After a period of strong growth (2.3% annually between 1947 and 2005), US labor productivity growth slowed to 1.3% after 2005".
Topic: Work (Read 362 times)