The Dignity of Work and the Rights of Workers
A Prayer for Work
Creator God,
thank you for providing us
with the gift to share our talents.
Provide our community, our nation, our world
the fortitude to provide work for all
which is decent and fair.
Make us faithful stewards
of your creation
to enhance the human dignity
of our global family.
We ask this in the name of Jesus,
who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit
now and forever.
Amen
Source: From Being Neighbor: The Catechism and Social Justice, SCCB, April 1998)
"THE DIGNITY OF WORK AND THE RIGHT OF WORKERS"
"Underlying every form of work is a concept of the relationship which we can and must have with what is other than ourselves." — Pope Francis, Lidato Si'
How do you view your work?
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. It follows that, in the reality of to-day's global society, it is essential that "we continue to prioritize the goal of access to steady employment for everyone," no matter the limited interests of business and dubious economic reasoning. We were created with a vocation to work. The goal should not be that technological progress increasingly replace human work, for this would be detrimental to humanity. Work is a necessity, part of the meaning of life on this earth, a path to growth, human development and personal fulfillment. Helping the poor financially must always be a provisional solution in the face of pressing needs. The broader objective should always be to allow them a dignified life through work. (Pope Francis, “On Care for Our Common Home” [Laudato Si’], nos. 127-28).
The economy must serve people, not the other way around. Work is more than a way to make a living; it is a form of continuing participation in God’s creation. If the dignity of work is to be protected, then the basic rights of workers must be respected--the right to productive work, to decent and fair wages, to the organization and joining of unions, to private property, and to economic initiative.
All economic life should be shaped by moral principles. Economic choices and institutions must be judged by how they protect or undermine the life and dignity of the human person, support the family and serve the common good….[and] how the poor and vulnerable are faring…. All people have a right to life and to secure the basic necessities of life, such as food, clothing, shelter, education, health care, safe environment, and economic security…All people, to the extent they are able, have a corresponding duty to work, a responsibility to provide for the needs of their families and an obligation to contribute to the broader society.
One of the seven themes of CST is the dignity of work and the rights of workers, which is highlighted in the foundational text on CST, Rerum Novarum, [“of the new things”] or “The Condition of Labor,” issued by Pope Leo XIII on May 15, 1891. It is a theme discussed by successive Popes in later encyclicals, and most recently by Pope Francis, who writes:
VIDEOS
"CST 101 - The Dignity of Work and Rights of Workers" (USCCB)
"Prayer Intention for the Dignity and Respect of Workers" (Pope Francis)
"Dignity of Work: Globalization and Greed"
"The Dignity of Work and the Rights of Workers"
"Catholic Social Teaching and the Dignity of Work"
"Vox Clamantis: The Dignity of Human Work"
"The Dignity of Work and the Rights of Workers"
"The Dignity of Labor" (Martin Luther King, Jr.)
"Rights for Worker's" (Pax Christi)
"CTS 5: The Dignity of Work and the Rights of Workers"