CBCI’s May Day message urges to combat the child labour, promote just wages.
(May 01, 2013) Indian bishops have asked Church organizations and dioceses to promote
a social security scheme and just wages among unorganized workers at all levels to
ensure worker's rights, especially of migrants and women. The May Day message from
the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India (CBCI) stressed to organize the unorganized
workers in some format in order to secure justice. It said that the Compendium of
Social Doctrine of the Catholic Church states that workers' unions are “a positive
influence" for social order and solidarity and are therefore an "indispensable element
of social life.” The message from CBCI Labor Commission also asked to create a pastoral
desk in each diocese to cater to the needs of the inter-state migrant workers to promote
their spiritual and social integration. Fr. Jaison Vadassery, Commission secretary,
said in order to intervene meaningfully in the issues of the poor workers of our country
"we need to strengthen these national movements and regional structures under each
Catholic diocese. "We bargain and fight for just wages for all the employees of our
country, we also struggle hard to ensure just wages for the employees in the Church's
institutions," he said. The social security for the employees in our institutions
is also the special concern of the Church. Therefore, CBCI has come forward with
Mazdoor Suraksha Yojana (MSY), for Church workers across the country. It is a contributory
pension scheme that deposits a minimum of Rs.1000 for the employee and the government
also contributes. At the age of sixty (60) Governments through Pension Fund Regulatory
and Development Authority (PFRDA) will give pension for staff and family. During the
period of employment the worker is covered under life insurance also. The CBCI
promotes this scheme in the civil society as well as within Church institutions because
Right to Work and right to rest are the fundamental rights of every human being, the
priest said. Ucan: