114. Capital and Labour

Capital and Labour should work together, and not against each other. Neither can exist without the other. Labour must necessarily be subordinate to capital, or order ceases. Order is the law of the universe. Around the sun revolve the planets; around the planets revolve their moons and satellites. A watch runs smoothly as long as each part, however small, does its share; otherwise the watch goes out of order. The humblest labourer must be treated justly by his employer and in turn must be loyal to the employer, otherwise order will cease.

What are the duties of an employer?

— An employer must:

1. Treat his employees with charity as human beings with immortal souls, not regarding them as slaves, or chattels or merely as money-making machines. He should take an interest in them, providing for them in sickness, accident, and old age.

The rich must not lessen the earnings of the working man, whether by force, fraud, or usurious tactics.

2. Not work his employees beyond their strength, or put them to any work that is unsuited to their sex and age. There should be no working mothers, no child labour.

We cannot change God's Law. He commanded: "You shall not hurt a widow or an orphan. If you hurt them, they will cry out to Me, and I will hear their cry" (Exod. 22:23).

3. See to it that the working conditions are safe for the soul as well as for the body:

(a) by not exposing working men to dangerous occasions of sin and to evil influences; (b) by giving them time to comply with their religious and family duties; and (c) by discouraging all signs of neglect of the family and squandering of earnings.

4. Pay a living wage; that is, enough to support the employees and their families in decency, and enable them to educate their children properly. "Let no man circumvent his brother in business, because God is the avenger of these things" (1 Thess. 4:6).

This is a right, dictated by natural justice. If the employee is forced to accept harder conditions, because the employer will give no better, injustice is committed. It is a grievous sin not to pay a just wage to employees. It is theft and a sort of murder to keep back the wages of a poor labourer. "Thou shalt not refuse the hire of the needy and the poor, but thou shalt pay him the hire of his labour ... lest he cry against thee to the Lord" (Deut. 24:14).

5. Improve as much as possible the conditions of the working classes. This is the only way we can avert disorder and remove discontent from the labourers, an increasing number of whom today live in dire poverty while their employers enjoy abundance and luxury.

What are the duties of an employee?

— An employee must:

1. Not look upon work as something to be ashamed of, for work is an honourable calling, while idleness is dishonourable and sinful.

It is well for us to keep in mind that this life is only a pilgrimage. Hence we should not be greedy or covetous of wealth. In a little while we shall all die, and our wealth will avail us nothing.

2. Render obedience to his employers, carrying out his part of all agreements and contracts, and serving faithfully and honestly.

It is a consolation for the humbly situated to know that in the next life there will be an absolutely just distribution of awards, according to what each deserves. The more patient we are on earth, the more resigned to our lot, the more God will reward us in heaven. "For those who love God, all things work together unto good" (Rom. 8:28).

3. Reverence and respect the person and property of his employers. He should not be idle; he should not waste or pilfer his employers' goods, nor injure them by negligence.

Employees should take a personal interest in the property and business of their employers, and be careful of tools and materials entrusted to them.

4. Be honest and just in his dealings with his employers, and in whatever demands he may wish to make, avoiding agitation. He should be certain that he does not improve his condition in life at the expense of justice.

What are trade unions?

— Trade unions are associations of working men aimed at the improvement of the conditions under which they work.

The general aim is to set a certain number of hours as the maximum for work, and a certain rate as minimum pay. The unions also make provision for sickness, old age, death, and unemployment of members.

1. Unfortunately, trade unions divide society into classes: one composed of those who pay the wages, and the other composed of those who receive the wages.

It would be well for present-day social reformers to take a leaf from the history of the guilds of the Middle Ages, when religion was of prime importance in social life. A guild was a society or organization formed among certain groups belonging to the same trade or occupation. There were guilds of shoemakers, tailors, goldsmiths, etc., as well as merchant and artist guilds. The purposes were social, economic and professional, and religious. The guild took care of old or incapacitated members, their widows and orphans. The guild contributed greatly to the excellence of work produced, since the aim was quality rather than quantity production.

2. To attain their aims, trade unions use collective bargaining, having as their most potent weapon the strike.

In strikes, working men refuse to continue working, in order to force the employer to give in to certain demands that he has refused. Strikes are not morally unjustifiable if the demands are just and reasonable, if more friendly means of obtaining them have been tried and have failed, if there is no violation of contracts freely entered into, and if the damage done would be commensurate with the advantages to accrue.

3. Trade unions and the strike are lawful and allowable, since at present there is as yet no impartial arbitration between employers and employees. But objects and methods must always, like those of the individual, be subject to the laws of religion and morals. Trade unions and strikes must commit no violence, must cause no injustice to anyone. It is wrong to organize strikes in order to force an employer to grant demands that will ruin him or take away his reasonable profits. The use of violence in strikes is a serious sin.

General strikes or tie-ups often result in great suffering and even death to innocent parties. The State has the right to provide against them. It may even take charge of the utilities such as mines, railways, or other business, in order to serve the public, until an agreement is reached between the owners and the labourers.

4. Trade unions must take care that they do not develop into Communist organizations. These would be for purely material ends, involving a class war for the dictatorship of the proletariat.

To prevent the spread of Communism, the increasing hardships of the working classes must be ameliorated; the rich must be thoughtful of the poor, and religion must reign in all hearts. It could not be the will of God that a small minority should enjoy an excess of this world's goods, while the rest of His children live in destitution. Employers, and especially Catholic ones, must practice Christian justice in their relations with those in their employ. As St. Paul says, the rich ought "to do good, be rich in good works, give readily, sharing with others" (1 Tim. 6:18).