“WORK IS WHAT makes the person similar to God because with work one is a creator, is capable of creating, … including creating a family to keep going. And this gives dignity to the human person. The dignity that makes one resemble God. The dignity of labour.” Pope Francis in his homily during his morning Mass on the feast of St. Joseph the Worker on May 1, in the chapel of his Vatican residence, the Domus Sanctae Marthae.
As International Workers’ Day approaches, the Church reiterates its closeness to all those people whose sweat and toil make our lives safer and hazard-free. The day commemorates workers’ struggles against violations of their rights in the past and the raising of awareness on unjust wages, poor working conditions and child labour. This year, with the Church honouring St. Joseph, the patron saint of workers, May Day is particularly significant for the Church.
The Church also recognises that abuse of workers, trafficking of persons for bonded or forced labour and the violation of human dignity are, unfortunately, not stories of the past, but they are happening in our midst. There are many who are forced to work for a paltry income or even without pay, not for eight, but for 12 or 14 hours a day. Every Labour Day is a reminder of one’s responsibility to stand for the rights of the workers and promote human dignity.
The Commission for Labour Affairs of the diocese has been waging a constant campaign for the rights of workers; for minimum wage and equitable working environment. Although the government ensures a minimum wage for the workers in Hong Kong, it is often deemed inadequate to meet the living expenses of the workers, especially with Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic restrictions still in place. Caritas-Hong Kong and the Pastoral Centre for Filipinos are also part of the diocesan response to offer care for workers, especially for the migrant workers.
The government reviews the statutory minimum wage once every two years and the current wage was set at $37.5 per hour on 1 May 2019. Although a review was due in May 2021, the government has decided to freeze the current wage level for another two-year period. Policy makers failed to consider of the plight of the workers especially in this time of pandemic with rising living expenses and increasing work hazards.
The Covid-19 pandemic has already disrupted and shattered the lives of people around the world and it still continues. The powers-that-be must learn from the lessons of the past year to care for the neediest of society. The world’s economists and thinkers have, in the past, mooted the idea of a Universal Basic Income (UBI) to alleviate the miseries of the working class. Pope Francis raised similar concerns, although the idea sounds too ambitious. If it materialises, every adult, irrespective of being rich or poor, working and non-working would receive a regular income from the state.
With many governments, including Hong Kong, already implementing cash-handouts and other subsidies to help people to cope with the pandemic situation, the concept of UBI looks attainable.
“The UBI could reshape relations in the labour market, guaranteeing people the dignity of refusing employment terms that trap them in poverty,” Pope Francis wrote in his recently published book, Let Us Dream: The Path to a Better Future. Jose, CMF
