"LET’S BUILD A JUST, FRATERNAL AND SUSTAINABLE SOCIETY!" Today, society requires that men and women work live with dignity and equality, where justice, solidarity and fraternity prevail.
In this 1st May, International Day of the men and women of the working world, the World Movement of Christian Workers (WMCW) denounces the precarious work and family that workers in the world live, regardless of race, colour, economic status, language or religion and promotes the right of individuals and families to have incomes or basic income that allow them to live with dignity.
The situations of unemployment, low wages, insecurity, layoffs are just some of the situations that oppress the working people of our countries.
Exploitation and threat of death that farm workers living in Guatemala cause social unrest. Because there, overlapping redundancies, poverty and malnutrition in the families of farm workers increase, the minimum wage is not paid, women earn half men and children are forced to work without pay in order to be close their parents. And this is just one example.
We denounce the high level of unemployment and precarious working conditions that Haiti, Nicaragua, Dominican Republic, El Salvador and Guatemala, as well as South America and European countries such as Spain, Portugal and Greece are living. And in Africa and Asia, too. Every day, because of the selfishness of a few to enrich themselves and maintain competitiveness in a wild system, there are laid off jobs, exploitation and loss of social and labour rights, leading to further impoverishment of the population instead of improving the quality of people’s life.
Irresponsible mining in much of the countries for example, Central America, The Caribbean, Africa, destroys the environment of rural families, the life of the planet and the health of populations. Domestic violence and femicide which are experienced for example in Nicaragua, Peru and Pakistan. The exploitation of child workers in Rwanda, India, Mexico, among others, that increases indefinitely.
Every day and worldwide, we watch how the human and social rights of the people are overridden by values such as the selfishness and the greed of a few. These situations of inequality, poverty and injustice reveal not only a profound lack of fraternity, but also the absence of a culture of solidarity.
“And the LORD said: I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows“. (Ex 3, 7).
The Social Doctrine of the Church emphasises that the rights of workers are humanizing rights which enable people to grow and develop in order to achieve their own transcendent ends, emphasising among them the just and sufficient for the family wage. (Laborem Excercens, Int.).
Pope Francis reveals that fraternity is an essential dimension of the human being, without it, it is impossible to build a just society. From the WMCW, we are committed to strengthen the kingdom of Jesus of Nazareth, which means to defend and to extend both our society and in our church, that it is possible a new mindset, to change the current economic and social model for a new model to serve the people. Working for respecting human and social rights.
Defending and protecting the environment, fighting for every single person living in every corner of the planet has a basic income to live with dignity and brotherly coexistence, is our responsibility as Christians, as workers, as human beings.
We must build otherwise act as baptized and as an important part of creation. WMCW's commitment in its General Assembly held in July 2013 in Haltern am See, Germany, reaffirmed its commitment to denounce the situation of exploitation of workers, fighting together to change this situation and the Good News: Let’s build a just, fraternal and sustainable society!
HAPPY WORKER’S DAY!
BASIC INCOME FOR EVERYONE!
LET’S PRESERVE OUR PLANET!
FRATERNITY AND SOLIDARITY!
For the General Secretariat of the WMCW Danilda (MCT Dominican Republic)
