This "Letter to Francis" is the document that the popular movements will present to the "Economy of Francis" event, scheduled for next November, as a proposal for alternative dialogue to the current "predatory system". It was presented at the World Meeting of People's Movements and the Vatican on October 24, 2020 by Marina Oliveira, Juliane Furno, Andrés Cappa and Jean Jores who stressed that "the socio-environmental crisis cannot be overcome within the framework of the current system that idolizes money."
Therefore, this alternative proposal basically involves placing "women, men and nature at the centre" of political decisions in the face of the idolatry and power of money that prevails. The popular movements, which recognise "the breadth of Francis' thought", propose "a vision that we consider to be in harmony with the radical nature of his teachings and the revolutionary nature of the Christian faith". A proposal based on five axes: Integral ecology and common goods; Economic democracy; Land, housing and work; Education, health, communication and technology; Sovereignty, human mobility and peace and which has as its origin "the documents elaborated in the three meetings of popular movements, the various national and regional meetings held by community organizations and the interventions of Pope Francis on various subjects.
Lord,
Hear our prayer in this year 2020, and on this day for decent work!
You see us at the exit of this global health crisis provoked by COVID-19!
During this crisis and in the immediate aftermath,
We have commended, applauded and recognised the work of health workers,
And also, all those other key workers that made an indispensable contribution to social care, and to the economy ensuring us “living together”.
We wanted their work to be recognised and better remunerated, appreciated and decent!
But before this crisis, Lord
You knew well that this work was not being recognised,
And as well that, nurses, fire fighters, police officers, transport workers, refuge collectors, etc…. who had been demanding better salaries, working conditions and superior equipment, were rejected, refused, ignored in the name of economic system!
You know, all too well, that numerous workers have deteriorating health and sometimes are losing their lives
Because their working conditions were too poor or dangerous.
So, Lord, make this global crisis produce something new!
That we find new ways of living our personal lives, engaging in new ways of consuming, planning, taking care of the planet and by respecting the work of others more decently.
That we find new ways of living our social lives, be that in our groups, our associations, our co-operatives, … learning how to invent new forms of work that is more respectful of health and with a decent salary.
That we find new ways of living our life, so that political, economic, and trades union leaders … place human beings as the priority above the economy at thus exerting more responsibility and a little more decency.
That we find new ways of living in our international relations, and that change the systems of injustice which imprison millions of women and men in materiel poverty, health insecurity, economic exclusion, … so many evils that prevent having a real and decent life.
That we find new ways of living our spiritual life, so that through these trials, we will understand better how much You matter to each and everyone of us. Yes, Lord God, help-us:
To be men and women of Faith, to always desire to believe in a decent world.
To be men and women of Hope, capable of imaging this decent life.
To be men and women of Love, making the choices, leading to actions that will bring a world that we are constructing to be one that is more beautiful, more just, and will be a reflection of Your Love.
A reflection of You: A Good, patient and merciful God, a Decent God for us all and for ever and ever Amen
Fr, Bernard ROBERT – international Chaplain WMCW
Decent work is central to the four strategic objectives of the International Labour Organisation relating to rights at work, in particular those defined as fundamental by the Declaration of Fundamental Principles Rights and at Work and its Follow-up, adopted in 1998.
For the ILO, it is necessary to put in place economic policies to stimulate the creation of more and better jobs, to reduce informal work, to fight against child labour and slavery as well as against all forms of discrimination. It is also imperative to promote youth employment, extend and improve social protection, stimulate education and vocational training and strengthen workers' rights.
This implies that women and men all over the world benefit from decently paid employment carried out under conditions of equality, freedom, including freedom of association and total security in order to guarantee a dignified life.
Decent and productive work is the main tool in overcoming poverty that afflicts millions of working people around the world. It is fundamental for building more democratic societies and for combating all forms of exclusion.
On this international day of Decent Work October 7, it is time to strengthen our reflection on the right to decent work for all.
The WMCW offers you a four-part Review of Life about the situations experienced during this period of coronavirus pandemic. Propose it to your activists and send your thoughts to the This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Good reflection !
On 1st May, International Workers’ Day, as a World Movement of Christian Workers, we commemorate:
The liberating feat of the martyred workers of Chicago, USA, 1884. Those who with their days of protest, stoppages and boycotts, from May 1 to 4, 1884, claimed an 8-hour day of work: "eight hours for labour eight hours for recreation and eight hours for rest ”- American Federation of Labour.
Our commitment as a Christian workers' movement, articulated to the struggles of all the workers in the countryside and the city; in achieving a Decent Life expressed in: decent work days, fair wages and humane conditions in the work environment.
To our brothers and sisters of popular movements and organizations
Dear Friends,
I often recall our previous meetings: two at the Vatican and one in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, and I must tell you that this “souvenir” warms my heart. It brings me closer to you, and helps me re-live so many dialogues we had during those times. I think of all the beautiful projects that emerged from those conversations and took shape and have become reality. Now, in the midst of this pandemic, I think of you in a special way and wish to express my closeness to you. In these days of great anxiety and hardship, many have used war-like metaphors to refer to the pandemic we are experiencing. If the struggle against COVID-19 is a war, then you are truly an invisible army, fighting in the most dangerous trenches; an army whose only weapons are solidarity, hope, and community spirit, all revitalizing at a time when no one can save themselves alone. As I told you in our meetings, to me you are social poets because, from the forgotten peripheries where you live, you create admirable solutions for the most pressing problems afflicting the marginalized.
I know that you nearly never receive the recognition that you deserve, because you are truly invisible to the system. Market solutions do not reach the peripheries, and State protection is hardly visible there. Nor do you have the resources to substitute for its functioning. You are looked upon with suspicion when through community organization you try to move beyond philanthropy or when, instead of resigning and hoping to catch some crumbs that fall from the table of economic power, you claim your rights. You often feel rage and powerlessness at the sight of persistent inequalities and when any excuse at all is sufficient for maintaining those privileges. Nevertheless, you do not resign yourselves to complaining: you roll up your sleeves and keep working for your families, your communities, and the common good. Your resilience helps me, challenges me, and teaches me a great deal.
- STOP VIRUSES!
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- 7th October 2018: WMCW Message on the World Day of Action for Decent Work
- WMCW Prayer for Decent Work - October 7th, 2018
- Tripartism Plus - Rethinking Social Dialogue in Times of Globalisation and Informalisation
- ILO Conference 2018, Geneva: Rethinking Social Dialogue in times of Globalization and Informalization
- May 1st, 2018 : Message from the WMCW
- March 8th, 2018: Declaration of the World Movement of Christian Workers (WMCW)
- Final Declaration of the International Meeting of Workers' Organisations, Rome, November 2017
- Message of Pope Francis to the participants in the International Conference “From Populorum progressio to Laudato si’”, Vatican City, November 23rd-24th, 2017
- Prayer for 7th October, 2017
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