MESSAGE FOR MAY DAY 2008

MAY 01, 2008

Read the Signs of the Time

While honoring the workers and remembering St. Joseph, the worker, on this international united actions and struggling of the working class for their pressing demands, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) Labour Commission conveys its warm greetings of solidarity to workers and their Unions & Movements in our country. The CBCI Labour Commission wishes all success in the struggle to secure the basic rights and demands of workers, and keeping the dignity of work for better life, peace and security.

The India that we are in today is entirely different from the one in which we were in yesterday. The country is being driven by a number of significant factors such as rapid urbanization, sustained income growth, improvement in the infrastructure, development of storage facilities, better access to information and development of transporting etc. The country has made rapid strides in several areas during the last sixty years. We must proudly say that what we have achieved today is, no doubt, the resultant outcome of the relentless hard working of India’s number one class scientists, engineers, journalists, soldiers, bureaucrats, politicians, doctors, judges, missionaries and visionaries etc.

But we sometimes fail to remember the millions of workers in the unorganized sector, without whom we would not have achieved such progress. Today we may take the name of the elite class workers but easily forget the contribution of the workers in unorganized sector who were not heeded for long. This message is an effort to remember and help those workers so that they are duly recognized and approved in the main stream.

Unequal Social Deal

Globalization has now become the handiwork of the rich and the multinationals. It has resulted in new economic policies like privatization, trade liberation, tax reforms, and de-regulation by removing restrictions, withdrawal of government from public distribution system, primary health and education, slashing subsidies of the poor etc.

Globalization and the resultant liberalization and by the entry of various multinational companies have reformed the Indian economy as a thriving one. But the adverse effect of this economic prosperity which is based on evidence proved that, workers, who are equally partners in the development, are not partaking in this boom adequately.

Employment opportunities are not growing as fast as working age population in the organized sector, nor are wages proportionate to their corresponding per capita income. Presently 77% of the Indian population is still in the per capita of below Rupees 20/- per day. (NCEUS Report, August 2007). A whopping 350 million people are illiterate; 260 million are still below the poverty line; 150 million people lack access to drinking water; 750 million lack proper sanitation; 50 per cent of the children are below acceptable nutrition level and basic medicines are unavailable in 75 per cent of the village. Therefore poverty, hunger and lack of basic resources remain as major issues for vast majority. This scenario is because the Indian workers in the casual and unorganized sector are denied their due share in the development and their acceptance as agents of developments. The following are some of the realities where these partial treatments exist.

Increase of Unorganized Workers: National Commission for Enterprises in the Unorganized Sector of the Government of India explains, ‘unorganized workers consist of those working in the unorganized enterprise or households, excluding regular workers with social security benefits, and the workers in the formal sector without any employment/social security benefits provided by the employers.’ This universe of informal workers now constitutes 92 percent of the total workforce. The number of persons belonging to this group increased from 811 million in 1999-00 to 836 million in 2004-05, whom we have called “Poor and vulnerable.” No guarantee of employment, work and social insecurity is prevalent in the society in an uphill mode. These unorganized sector workers get hardly any acceptance and acknowledgement from any legislation.

There is yet another segment of disadvantaged workers such as agricultural workers, seasonal migrants, child laborers and bonded labourers, who constitute the grass root level of working class in the country. According to the 2001 Census, 314-54 million persons have changed their place of residence within the country and out of this 29.90 million or 9% have left their place for work. The migrant workers fall beneath in the line of those in the unorganized sector.

These migrant unorganized workers on account of their scarcity of adequate resources and social contacts are always having low social status. This results the low bargaining power in the labour market, continued long hours of work, meager wages and the job insecurity. They are considered least and hardly get any attention and support either from the Government or from any organization or union. They are an unprotected lot as they do not benefit from economic and social security.

Contract work has become a common reality: Sub-contracting and outsourcing in industries, multinational companies, Public Sector Units, and in Government are a way of routine today. The contract basis policy denies the workers their basic need and right of their social and economic security. Now this trend of hiring the workers on contract basis has appeared in the private sector and even in Church-related institutions too.

Closure of thirty lakhs of small scale units and loss of 1.8 corers of jobs: Globalization, easy and free trade and entry of bigger enterprises have resulted in the closure of small scale industries and thus those dependents on small scale industries were displaced .The entries of multinational companies and mass mechanization have deprived mass-number of workers of their work and resulted in their displacement in the society.

Retrenchment of 50 lakhs of workers from PSUs and Industries: Retrenchment and removal and early retirement have become the order of the day without any security to the workers and continuity of their work.

Privatization of the Public Sector Units: The result of the privatization of the Public Sector Units has resulted in retrenchment of workers in mass scale. Privatization has then employed workers under contract and hired workers at a cheaper rate.

Long and continuous hours of work: The resultant scenarios by mass-retrenchment of workers which has resulted in less number of workers and therefore the remaining workers have long hours of work. Wages are not in commensurate with the long hours of work.

India’s old and outdated labor Laws that fostered two castes of workers: The upper class who are in the organized sector having easier access and security of lifetime employment with all work benefits, and the lower class of the labour force who toils throughout, in the unorganized sector, falling outside the scale of any regulation with having no say and right in the employment. More than that, adequate concern for workers on the part of government officials who are entrusted with the responsibility of safeguarding the rights of workers is unfortunately lacking.

Weak functioning of Trade Unions: As a result of mass-retrenchment of workers the numbers of members in the trade unions have come down resulting in weak functioning of the trade unions. So unions have been unable to articulate the interests of workers independently. Also, a narrow outlook on labour has made them irrelevant to the majority of workers in the unorganized sector. The unions normally represent the labour nobles, who are in the organized sectors. They have ties and are lenient to the political parties which protect their interests. They return the favor by providing foot soldiers for conducting political campaigns. It's a comfortable deal which serves vested interests, to the detriment of the economy and quality employment. They forget their duties and responsibilities towards workers in the unorganized sector.

Threat to the basic livelihood: The emergence of new townships and special economic zones which are developed by estate moguls and business empires have now started depriving the poor and those dependent on nature of their livelihood. Once the land is acquired under the pretext of development and projects, the deprived are left abandoned. The farmers and small fishermen are stripped off their land and coasts respectively; land by the land mafia and sea by the tourism projects and mechanical fishing of the mighty fishing companies. Our efforts must aim at protecting the interests of these poor and needy people by giving them the amicable settlements.

Lacking to accept value of all Jobs: We have yet to learn to look at all jobs with equal status and dignity. The concept of decorum of labour is of immense value to society in the context of the present economic scenario in the country. The theory of dignity of labour should be carefully examined by the scientific, academic, and literary circles. The perception of self-esteem of labour is very complex and is influenced by culture, tradition and even caste. Every profession is significant, and while choosing a profession fulfils the ambitions of an individual, it should also benefit the poor and the needy. Youngsters should be taught the poise of labour, so that they appreciate the fruits of hard work. There is a misconception among many students that the education they receive should confer on them with white or blue collar jobs as a rule. This delusion leads them to lack of self-respect of work in the society.

Work Creates the Development - an Often Forgetting Reality

God is active in the creation as he is the Creator of the universe and everything in it and therefore all of us are called to be active, giving the maximum of our lives to the world and the people around us. Worker, as a human being is entrusted with the privilege of being part of creation, perseverance and development of society .The workers are the partners with the Creator and they have been ordering the universe by which their actualization can be attained.

Labour creates wealth and knowledge, which ‘control’ or constitute external goods for development of state. To produce these goods the labour of workers, whether they expand their skill and strength on farms or in factories, is most efficacious and essential. In this respect, their energy and effectiveness are so important that it is incontestable that the wealth of nations originates from no other source than from the labour of work.

The Church as an Embodiment of Workers

The Church is a congregation of people working for the Kingdom of God, partaking and continuing the creative activities of God, the Father. For more than a century, the Church has insisted that human work is the key to the whole social issues. Our tradition has defended the right of workers to join together to decent work, wage, and their voice often heard. Last year was the 40th anniversary of Pope Paul V1’s powerful encyclical Populorum Progressio on the Development of Peoples. He called Catholics to defend the lives and dignity of poor and vulnerable workers in our own societies and around the world. The Pope has called us to be in solidarity with those who seek to “escape from hunger, misery, endemic disease, and ignorance.”(PP: 1) This message of solidarity and the pursuit of the global common good build the tradition, begun by Pope Leo X11 in Rerum Novarum in 1891 and extend through the twentieth century in a powerful series of papal encyclicals. Our present Holy Father, Benedict X1, in his first encyclical, Deus Caritas Est, has placed the Church’s social doctrine in the context of God’s love for us and our duty to love the ‘least of these.’ “Within the community of believers there can never be room for poverty that denies anyone what is needed for a dignified life.”(Deus Caritas No.20)

Our Strategies Ahead

The Church of India is known to have rendered yeomen service in the field of education, healthcare and development. But the Church has to go a long way when it comes to the field of the working class, especially those in the unorganized sector.

By the pastoral concern and care to the workers, the Church in India believes that all workers are children of God and are not like sheep without a shepherd. The Church takes up the role of a shepherd to the workers and motivates and guides them through methods of animation, advocacy, activism and mobilization that lead to good leadership. It motivates and makes them to be their own leaders to stand for their rights and abide by their responsibilities as workers. Today workers need the micro leaders who care all aspects of workers’ life in small group. Therefore we call upon all Church personnel to be leaders for the causes of workers which would surely make difference.

In an effort to empowering the workers, the Church in India encourages the initiatives of the Labour Movements, Trade Unions, and other various labour initiatives of the NGOs, SHGs and Centers through various methods of awareness, facilitation, education and counseling for workers. It gives guidance and support to all labour initiatives taken up by any organizations, engaged in working for the rights and welfare of the worker, on the basis of the social values..

The Catholic Church in India has been in liaison constantly with the Government machinery to get in touch with the on-going various welfare schemes for the social and economic securities of the workers. This information from the departments get transmitted to the workers through the regional and national set-up and coordinates all activities so that the workers are registered and enrolled in such welfare schemes to avail its benefits for their own social security and safety.

On this May Day 2008, let our lives be an imitation of St. Joseph, the Worker. Let all of us be proud of our work whatever we are called by the Lord to do as workers in the establishment of the Kingdom of God here on earth. We, as followers of the Lord, shall not rest until every tear is wiped out from the face of each worker. Let all workers be considered and treated as part-takers in the creation activities of God so that the workers are dignified in their works and understand and be just to our co-workers, giving provisions for a decent and dignified, secure life so that each worker may be able to live up to his vocation as a worker. We read in the Book of Exodus, wherein it is written: “I heard the affliction and cry of the people and God is asking whom shall I send to them”.Ch: 3, 7. Moses and prophets came for uplifting the people because God loves and cares His people and moreover is deeply concerned for them. We therefore must hear the call of the Lord, the Almighty, and work towards the well being of all, especially for those who toil day and night in the unorganized sector. I hope that the Lord may give courage and strength to all of us in this task.

New Delhi	+ Joshua Mar Ignathios
May Day, 2008	Chairman, CBCI Labour Commission

Message published by CBCI Labour Commission,
CBCI Centre, 1, Ashok Place, New Delhi-110 001
Ph. No 91-011-23362907 Email.cbcilabour@gmail.com .Website: www.cbcilabour.info