Pope Francis: Workplaces must be safe for employees

Pope greets ANMIL members

Source: Vatican News

Workplaces must be safe for workers, and all workers must be cared for and protected, Pope Francis said on Monday morning when he received members of the Italian Association for Injured Workers (ANMIL) in the Vatican.

He applauded the Association for its efforts to promote safety in the workplace and support victims of work accidents and their families, but stressed employers' great responsibility to care for staff, decrying cutting corners for profit, or when companies try to improve their image with charity work.

Welcoming ANMIL members on the 80th anniversary of their association, the Pope recalled that 1943 had been a "decisive year" for Italy in the Second World War.

"You took your first steps in that context, which reminds us that every armed conflict brings with it legions of amputees," the Pope said, lamenting that "even today" this happens, as the "madness of war" causes the civilian population to suffer dramatic consequences.

"Even once conflict is over," the Pope said "rubble remains," even "in bodies and hearts," noting that "peace must be rebuilt day by day, year by year, through the protection and promotion of life and its dignity, starting with the weakest and, beginning with the most disadvantaged."

The Holy Father thanked the workers' association for drawing attention to the issue of safety in the workplace, "where too many deaths and misfortunes still occur."

In particular, he praised their initiatives aimed at improving civil legislation on workplace accidents and the rehabilitation of people with disabilities. "Indeed, it is not only a matter of guaranteeing proper welfare and social security care for those suffering from forms of disability," he said, "but also of giving new opportunities to people who can be reintegrated and whose dignity demands to be fully recognised."

He also encouraged them to continue raising public awareness of accident prevention and safety policies, particularly for women and young people. He lamented ongoing tragedies in the workplace, despite technology available to promote safety.

"Sometimes it sounds like a war bulletin," he said.

"Tragedies begin when the goal is no longer man, but productivity, and man becomes a production machine," he observed.

With this in mind, he said their commitment to educating and training workers, employers, and society was "crucial."

"Safety at work is like the air we breathe: we realise its importance only when it is tragically lacking, and it is always too late!"

The Pope said, "We cannot get used to accidents at work, nor resign ourselves to indifference towards them."

"We cannot accept the waste of human life. Deaths and injuries are a tragic social impoverishment that affects everyone, not just the companies or families involved."

Pope Francis reiterated the importance of good and enforced legislation, but also the need to coexist properly as brothers and sisters in the workplace.

"One cannot, in the name of greater profit demand too many working hours, decreasing concentration, or think of counting insurance or security demands as unnecessary expenses and loss of earnings."

Ensuring safety at work, the Pope said, is an employer's "first duty." He expressed disgust "when entrepreneurs or legislators, instead of investing in safety, prefer to wash their consciences with some charity work."

Employers' first task, he insisted, "must be caring for their brothers and sisters."

"We are human beings and not machines, unique persons and not spare parts," the Pope pointed out, saying that regardless, "many times some workers are treated like spare parts."

Human beings, he underscored, come "before economic interest," stressing that each person is a gift to the community, and when someone becomes impaired or disabled, it "wounds the entire social fabric."

The Holy Father concluded by entrusting the workers to the protection of St Joseph, Patron Saint of workers, and the Blessed Mother, and requesting their prayers.