Labour Rights and Catholic Social Teaching

Abstract

Abstract This chapter examines what Catholic Social Teaching (CST) says about labour rights and the role for labour law in their realization. The CST belief in the dignity of work implies certain rights that must be respected by employers for work to be performed under dignified conditions. The content of these rights has unfolded over time, but they include the right to a just wage, the right to rest, the right to safe working conditions, and freedom of association. Incrementally, the Church has endorsed the moral right to be free from discrimination in the workplace. The chapter finds that its teaching in this area remains divergent from mainstream secular thought, because it assumes that women have a distinct vocation for providing care in the home. Church teaching has increasingly recognized the legitimate role of the State and international organizations in securing labour rights, including the necessity of labour legislation. At the same time, it provides firm support for trade unions because they are viewed as an expression of the principle of solidarity. CST is also favourable to entrusting responsibility for securing labour rights to the social partners (representatives of management and labour) in keeping with the principle of subsidiarity.