St Joseph shows us the importance of dignified labour for young people, writes Marc Besford
Rises in the cost of living and changes in the working lives of many have raised significant questions around dignity, and fair and just payment of all in employment. Yet for Catholics, these are by no means new issues.
Since the publication in 1891 of the encyclical Rerum Novarum, “On Rights and Duties of Capital and Labour”, Catholics have frequently called for human dignity in the workplace, and for a just and fair wage. In the 1931 encyclical “On the Reconstruction of the Social Order”, published to mark the fortieth anniversary of Rerum Novarum, Pope Pius XI wrote that “every effort must therefore be made that the fathers (sic) of families receive a wage large enough to meet ordinary family needs adequately”.
As Catholics today, we need to look at our current circumstances and to assess our economic system in order to allow everyone to have a fair wage for a fair day’s work. This would ensure that parents can pay their bills and put food on the table for their families.
Work is much more than a source of financial income; work is an integral part of human identity. It plays a significant part in people’s lives, and consequently there is an imperative to promote decent employment for all. Pope St John Paul II’s 1981 encyclical on human work, Laborem exercens, states that work is a good thing for humanity. It is not only good in the sense that it is useful or something to enjoy; it is also good as being something worthy, that is to say, something that corresponds to human dignity, that expresses this dignity and increases it.
That dignity needs to be restored as unemployment has once more become a burning issue, and is reaching record levels even in nations that for decades have enjoyed a certain degree of prosperity.
There is a renewed need to appreciate the importance of dignified work, of which St Joseph is an exemplary patron.
We need to look at ways in which we can train or re-train young people in order to give them hope and encouragement for their futures and those of their families.
Too many young people are leaving education with no prospects of work. Consequent lack of experience is being used against them and opportunities to remedy that lack seem to be scarce. The whole nature of apprenticeships is ripe for revamping, while firms are crying out for skills that at the moment are in danger of being lost, maybe forever.
Young people are concerned about the increase in decreasing job security. Casual work with zero-hour contracts is not appropriate for many young people, who need to be treated with dignity and respect, and to be paid sufficiently for their work.
Young people need to be protected from having to be constantly available for work. A healthy balance between work and other parts of life is crucial for human well-being and the well-being of society.
Fair payment – that is wages people can actually live on – are a matter of justice and human dignity. Young people, too, need to be paid a real living wage, and as Catholics we need to speak out about this.
Marc Besford is the National President of Young Christian Workers (www.ycwimpact.com).
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