Maravi

Dignity of work

Dignity of work
By Editor
Wednesday July 09, 2008 [04:00]

OUR people and our country are not benefiting much from foreign investment. It is actually the foreign investors who are benefiting a lot from their investment in our country, and not our people. All they leave us at the end of the day is environmental degradation. We commend the 16th Plenary Assembly of the Association of Member Episcopal Conferences in Eastern Africa (AMECEA) for the communiqué which urged governments in our region to put the interest of common citizens ahead of any gains when negotiating contracts with local or foreign investors.

We urge the governments of our region to study, embrace and implement their recommendations. Truly, investments must not disadvantage the people. External investments should be welcome into the economies of our region, but these investments must not disadvantage our people.

Our people today suffer the injustices of unjust wages and poor working conditions.
Yes, foreign investments, and all other investments, are creating some jobs, some work for our people. But work is more than a way of making a living; it is a way of expressing and realising our dignity, and it is an opportunity to collaborate with God in the development of creation. Therefore, workers should participate in the workplace in a manner reflecting their responsibilities and dignity. Employers should treat workers with respect. They cannot be reduced to mere commodities. People have a right to productive work, to fair wages, and to private property and economic initiative.

AMECEA's communiqué does not come as a surprise to us. We say this because the Catholic Church has a long tradition of defending workers and supporting their rights. Actually, in the Catholic teaching, the economy exists to serve people, not the other way round.

The AMECEA communiqué also raised concern about the gap between the rich and the poor that is ever growing wider. In many parts of our country, people are working but are still not earning enough to lead a dignified life. Employers have a moral obligation, and a practical responsibility, to ensure that their workers receive a fair wage for fair work. We urge the government to investigate and implement a just wage for all employees in our country.

And when we talk about a just wage, we mean a salary that will allow workers to at least earn more than the poverty level in the area where they live; should be commensurate with other employers in similar industries; and recognises the dignity and respect that should be accorded to all workers. A just wage is one that recognises the value of the service provided by the employee; takes into account the prevailing economic conditions in which the business operates - but is not driven solely by market forces; allows employees to live above the poverty level in their area; and respects the whole person - recognises that work is the normal way to provide for oneself and one's family, but is only part of a balanced life.

By consulting a variety of sources, a reasonable wage level can be determined. This should be considered only a minimum and employers are urged to seek ways to go beyond these levels. This might include provisions for part-time work, flexible benefits, generous leave allowances, and other avenues that allow employees to cope with the heightened pace of today's life. Of course, economic conditions vary from area to area.

All good businesses have the responsibility to remain economically and financially viable. While it may not be essential that they make super profits, they must be able to generate sufficient income to defray expenses and meet other operating costs or they will become unsustainable. When decisions are made, for whatever reason, to hire employees, the employers, must be fully committed to dealing with the implications of those decisions - from economic and financial sustainability of the enterprise to fair wages for employees.

Wages cannot be based upon injustice to employees - the ends never justify the means. There is no question that increased labour cost will impact the revenue or proceeds of the business. However, acting justly with our employees strengthens our moral authority. The moment a person is hired, the employer should assume all the inherent responsibility and duties. And this is especially more so for the government and other public institutions if they are to hold other employers accountable, they must set the standard. Serious consideration needs to be given to trade-offs in budgets and in the use of funds. God is calling us to justice, are we offering excuses?

If employers object to high wages for employees, then it is up to the government to educate them regarding the principles of economic justice and challenge them to adopt these principles in their own lives.

Paying just wages is not only a requirement of justice, but will also be a powerful witness to those who are concerned with economic justice for all people.

Work is a principal way for individuals to fulfil their material needs and contribute to the larger community. Fair and equitable treatment for employees should be a requirement for all employers. While work is necessary, employers should also recognise the needs of a complete individual - for parents to spend time with children, workers to engage in leisure activities, and every person to have time to revitalise the spirit. Motivating employees through a just, equitable wage will improve morale, working conditions and economic return.

There is need to bear in mind all the time that the economy exists for the person, and not the person for the economy. 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 a fundamental moral measure of any economy is how the poor and vulnerable are fairing. It doesn't profit anyone much to go round banding statistics of economic progress in the country when the conditions of the poor and the vulnerable are not in any meaningful way improving.

All people have a right to life and to secure the basic necessities of life - food, clothing, shelter, education, health care, safe environment, economic security and so on and so forth.

All people have the right to economic initiative, to productive work, to just wages and benefits, to descent working conditions. 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.

In economic life, free markets have both clear advantages and limits; the government has essential responsibilities and limitations; voluntary groups have irreplaceable roles, but cannot substitute for the proper working of the market and the just policies of the state. Society has a moral obligation, including governmental action where necessary, to assure opportunity, meet basic human needs, and pursue justice in economic life. Workers, owners, managers and consumers are moral agents in economic life. By our choices, initiative, creativity and investment, we can enhance or diminish economic opportunity, community life and social justice.

The global economy has moral dimensions and human consequences. Decisions on investment, trade, aid and development should protect human life and promote human rights, especially for those most in need wherever they might live on this globe.

Governments in our region still have a daunting task of reducing the gap between the rich and the poor and ensure that there are no misplaced priorities, inequitable distribution of resources, bad governance, corruption and conflicts that put extra burden on the poor and the vulnerable.

Labels: FDI, JOBS

posted by MrK @ 4:19 AM