Spain

"Church for Decent Work" calls for decent job creation policies

The promoters of the ecclesial initiative for decent work will focus the 2021 campaign on raising political, ecclesiastical and social awareness of commitments in favor of decent jobs. 

Maria José Atienza-February 17, 2021-Reading time: 2 minutes
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Photo: Gil Ribeiro/Unsplash

The initiative Church for decent workwhich is made up of Christian-inspired entities and organizations such as Caritas, the Spanish Conference of Religious, the Catholic Action Workers' Brotherhood (HOAC) and Catholic Student Youth, presented this morning the key to its 2021 campaign.

The "Church for decent work" points out that "the pandemic has aggravated the already difficult situation of the world of work and has revealed the limits of commodified work". In this sense, they wanted to recall the more than six hundred thousand people who lost their jobs in 2020, as well as the figures of youth unemployment among those under 25 years of age, which in Spain is already 39.6%.

DATO

600.000

More than 600,000 people lost their jobs in 2020

A labor drama that is aggravated by the difficulties of thousands of people to access "a decent job that allows them to meet basic needs such as making ends meet, reconciling work and family life, access to housing, occupational safety and health or energy comfort, social participation, etc.".

Now more than ever, decent work

For all these reasons, this year's slogan: "Now more than ever, decent work", is intended to be a stimulus to "address this situation in which we find ourselves, especially among women and young people. This will be the main priority in the reflection and action of the initiative during 2021 and will have its maximum expression in the call for May Day and the World Day for Decent Work on October 7, key days in its work for the promotion of the dignity of work".

To achieve this, the Church for Decent Work will update its awareness-raising and information materials to continue promoting the adhesion of parishes, groups and institutions to the initiative. In addition, in this sense, "it intends to advance in the dialogue with the members of the Spanish Episcopal Conference, particularly with the bishop of the Pastoral Ministry of Labor, to share views, concerns and strategies that continue to encourage the priority of decent work in the midst of the pastoral action of the whole Church". 

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