Occupational justice as social justice: The moral claim for inclusion

Clare Hocking

doi:10.1080/14427591.2017.1294016

Abstract

ABSTRACTOccupational justice is typically framed as an aspect of social justice, a philosophical perspective that has traditionally emphasised treating people with respect and equitable distribution of societal resources. Contemporary views emphasise acknowledging difference and what people have the capability to do and be, rather than what they receive. This presentation questioned whether working towards occupational justice can contribute to realising a just and inclusive society by analysing how occupational justice issues have been argued. A systematic review of diverse literature documenting occupational injustices was completed, looking for whether social or occupational justice was emphasised, what recourse authors made to human or occupational rights, whether moral or ethical claims were made, and how authors positioned their work. All authors were found to invoke social justice concepts and relate previous or current human rights abuses. Occupational deprivation was almost always cited and breaches of people’s occupational rights were identified. Claims for social and occupational justice were interrelated, with the right to work emphasised. Moral claims to occupational justice were revealed in descriptions of people experiencing occupational injustice as worthy citizens and as suffering. Mechanisms that create and hold occupational injustices were identified, and responsibility for achieving occupational justice was situated within policy structures and with policy makers.

Highlights

Occupational justice is typically framed as an aspect of social justice, a philosophical perspective that has traditionally emphasised treating people with respect and equitable distribution of societal resources
To guard against the possibility that discussions of occupational justice and occupational rights have taken a specific focuses in particular contexts, I needed to select literature focusing on diverse populations and circumstances, and different variants of occupational injustice
Discrepancies between statements in a penal management plan about “respecting the dignity of all persons” (Whiteford, 1997, p. 129) and how inmates were treated point to social justice concerns

Summary

Introduction

Occupational justice is typically framed as an aspect of social justice, a philosophical perspective that has traditionally emphasised treating people with respect and equitable distribution of societal resources. Rawls (2001) promoted a vision of justice as fairness when protecting people’s access to civil liberties, human rights, and opportunities to lead a fulfilling and healthy life. Inclusion, from his perspective, refers to civic inclusion, meaning equitable opportunities to access “health, education, personal fulfilment, creativity, and so on” In specifying equity rather than equality, Rawls envisioned justice to mean fair and impartial distribution of opportunities rather than, for example, a redistribution of resources to ensure all citizens had equal status and rights. Addressing how social justice might be achieved, Rawls identified the role of political and social institutions as assigning basic rights, duties and burdens, and regulating the division of benefits accrued from people’s cooperative input to society

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Conclusion