Church teaching on trade unionism

The Church's social teaching has always deplored an 'us and them' mentality between managers and workforce. Industrial situations should not be organised in a way that fosters such confrontational attitudes.

The Church has always stressed that workers have rights which Catholic teaching has consistently maintained are superior to the rights of capital. These include the right to decent work, to just wages, to security of employment, to adequate rest and holidays, to limitation of hours of work, to health and safety protection, to non-discrimination, to form and join trade unions, and, as a last resort to go on strike.

At the same time, it is unfair for those taking part in an industrial dispute to inflict hardship or serious inconvenience on third parties as a deliberate tactic. Their dispute is with their employer, not the public.

We are pleased to note a much healthier approach to trade unionism and politics in general these days. This attitude surely augurs well and promises a lot.

Striking the proper balance in the political and the social scene requires sound judgment, political savoir faire and acumen on the part of government, political leaders, employers, trade unionists and workers.

While the evident signs of this fresh approach are in the air, it is appropriate to appeal to some trade union leaders to reflect on the Church's social teaching over the years, but especially as explained in the encyclical Laborem Exercens (On Human Work) which Pope John Paul II issued on September 14, 1981, on the 90th anniversary of that other social encyclical Rerum Novarum.

In the chapter 'Importance of unions' Pope John Paul stated: "In this sense, union activity undoubtedly enters the field of politics understood as prudent concern for the common good. However, the role of unions is not to 'play politics' in the sense that the expression is commonly understood today.

"Unions do not have the character of political parties struggling for power; they should not be subjected to the decision of political parties or have too close links with them. In fact, in such a situation, they easily lose contact with their specific role, which is to secure the just rights of workers within the framework of the common good of the whole society, instead they become an instrument used for other purposes".