Call for Church to highlight dignity of workers

Dr Ann Hynes

A Catholic lecturer in law has called for the Church to highlight the dignity of workers. Addressing the National Council for Lay Associations last weekend, Dr Ann Hynes said human work is seen solely as an instrument of production, a commodity to be bought and sold. “This is undermining the dignity of human work,” said Dr Hynes, who pointed out how this ran contrary to Catholic Social teaching from the Papal Encyclicals, Rerum Novarum (1891) to Laborem Exercens (1981).

Dr Hynes, who lectures at Llandrillo College in North Wales, recalled how in her own work as a representative in the University and College Union she was constantly coming across bullying.

The type of techniques used by the bully include giving impossible deadlines, unmanageable workloads and being made subject to monitoring.

She recalled hearing of cases where managers claim ‘I can get you sacked,’ ‘there is plenty more where you came from’ and ‘I can read your emails.’

There was also a tendency to easily dismiss stress.

Quoting statistics that show UK workers working ever longer hours and doing two billion pounds of unpaid overtime, Dr Hynes questioned where the human being finds time for “leisure, arts and family.”

On pensions, Dr Hynes was at pains to point out that this was something that workers had earned, it is not a privelige.

She claimed that those who attack the Human Rights Act are denying the basic rights supported in Catholic Social teachings such as Laborem Exercens, Pacem in Terris and Rerum Novarum. “What is needed is not more law but enforcement of the laws we have,” said Dr Hynes, who called for a list of duties as well as rights.

National Justice and Peace Network chair Anne Peacey called for “a happier, healthier, safer and fairer society.”

She called for people to join NJPN in signing up to Church Action on Poverty’s Close the Gap campaign, which seeks to reduce the gap between rich and poor. “The Christian view of the world is that we are all equal . The world should look like the kingdom of God, with all people having life in all its fullness,” said Mrs Peacey, who stressed the need to challenge unjust structures.

Progressio campaign officer Dan Hale claimed that “water has never had such a high profile in the Church” with two agencies (Progressio and CAFOD) working on the subject.

Mr Hale said 2.6 billion people live in areas of water scarcity, with two thirds of the world likely to experience water shortages by 2025.

Progressio supports organic farming which is cheaper and more efficient for farmers as it does not require pesticides or fertilisers to make it happen. But water shortages would be a major problem, especially for small farmers over coming years. “Demand will outstrip supply by 2030,” said Mr Hale, who urged people to get involved in the agencies Waterproof campaign.