4 May 2006
INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS CHANGES RAISE CONCERNS FOR THE POOR, THE VULNERABLE AND FOR FAMILY LIFE
In a pastoral letter to mark the feast of St Joseph the Worker (May 1st) the Australian Catholic Bishops have repeated their concerns about the impact of the federal government’s industrial relations changes on the poor and the vulnerable and on family life.
Rejecting the notion that the adverse changes in patterns of employment over the past twenty years (increasingly casual, part-time, limited job security etc) are an inevitable consequence of economic and market forces, the bishops re-affirmed the responsibility of government to intervene in the economy where necessary to ensure the inalienable rights of workers are protected.
In particular the bishops expressed their concern at the likely effects of the 'WorkChoices' legislation, that can strike the most vulnerable:
* that minimum wages would be pushed lower or erode over time
* that creating jobs by allowing wages and conditions to fall would do little to lift people out of poverty
* that a reduction of the award safety net would see the loss of fair standards of employment for all
* that the removal of unfair dismissal laws for most businesses would exacerbate job insecurity
* that the role of unions representing their members and other workers would be weakened.
The pastoral letter concluded by emphasising the "central importance of work to the dignity of individuals and families and the foundation of a properly functioning society" and by re-stating some fundamental principles of Catholic Social Teaching:
"The person is the measure of the dignity of work. Adequate pay, fair conditions, the representation of industrially weak workers and the availability and security of work are the grounds on which the fairness of industrial relations is and will continue to be tested."
The full text of the pastoral letter can be found at the website of the Australian Catholic Social Justice Council
Rejecting the notion that the adverse changes in patterns of employment over the past twenty years (increasingly casual, part-time, limited job security etc) are an inevitable consequence of economic and market forces, the bishops re-affirmed the responsibility of government to intervene in the economy where necessary to ensure the inalienable rights of workers are protected.
In particular the bishops expressed their concern at the likely effects of the 'WorkChoices' legislation, that can strike the most vulnerable:
* that minimum wages would be pushed lower or erode over time
* that creating jobs by allowing wages and conditions to fall would do little to lift people out of poverty
* that a reduction of the award safety net would see the loss of fair standards of employment for all
* that the removal of unfair dismissal laws for most businesses would exacerbate job insecurity
* that the role of unions representing their members and other workers would be weakened.
The pastoral letter concluded by emphasising the "central importance of work to the dignity of individuals and families and the foundation of a properly functioning society" and by re-stating some fundamental principles of Catholic Social Teaching:
"The person is the measure of the dignity of work. Adequate pay, fair conditions, the representation of industrially weak workers and the availability and security of work are the grounds on which the fairness of industrial relations is and will continue to be tested."
The full text of the pastoral letter can be found at the website of the Australian Catholic Social Justice Council
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