Final Declaration of the International Meeting of Workers' Organisations, Rome, November 2017

Details

Also available:   

WORK AND WORKER ORGANISATIONS AT THE CENTER OF INTEGRAL AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT.

1. The meeting of trade union organisations convened by the Dicastery for promoting integral human development, opens up new and hopeful perspectives for the reflection and shared contribution of workers' movements to contemporary societies.

2. Its development has been based on an analysis from the various regions of the world today, from the reality of workers, social sciences, international standards, Gospel and Social Doctrine of the Church, from Rerum Novarum to Laudato Si.

3. It has made it possible to identify, that the current model of globalisation has failed working people and resulted in historic levels of inequality which, when combined with digitalization and climate change, presents a number of disturbing issues. These include the weakening of labour laws and government regulations, unfair trade, the financialization of the economy and the blind trust in technology as a solution to the problems of social organisation. The increase in automatization, individualization, inequality, precarity, mass unemployment, poverty and the phenomena of exclusion and the "discarding" of people puts the "common home" at risk. These trends present serious challenges for all social and institutional players and in particular for the world of work.

4. It has made it possible to identify the wealth of the Social Doctrine of the Church, reaffirming the centrality of the human person and the right to a decent work with the recognition, promotion and defence of universal labour standards in the model of development; the cultural heritage of the peoples; the priority of labour over capital and finance; the universal destination of goods and the consequent social mortgage that hangs over them; the consideration of scientific-technological innovations as a product of collective work and generations; the strategic role of trade union organizations by means of social dialogue and collective bargaining in building economically robust and fairer societies; cooperation and solidarity among nations as the foundation for a world in peace.

5. It has also made it possible to visualize the continuity of institutions and organisations of care and protection of workers that are an essential framework for the construction of more democratic, participatory and inclusive societies, based on the values ​​of collaboration, networking, unity, solidarity, and organisation.

6. Trade Unions have always played a crucial role for the defence of human dignity. Freedom of association, the right to organize, collective bargaining and collective action are fundamental human rights and a precondition for other human rights at the same time. Trade union organisations have a leading role in the construction of new models of environmental, economic, social and integral development and promoting new ways of working. Precarious work must be eliminated. To take advantage of the opportunities of the fourth industrial revolution it requires a just transition including education and lifelong learning and the deepening of workplace democracy. Governments must ensure the conditions for full employment, decent work, including safe workplaces based on occupational health and safety rights, respect for human and labour rights and fight against all forms of discrimination.

7. Human mobility is one of the most serious challenges of our times. Millions of women, men and children are forced to leave their own home and families because of wars, hunger and poverty. Trade unions must be committed to secure, safe havens and equal treatment for refugees, migrants - documented and undocumented - the displaced and asylum seekers. Everyone needs to be welcome in society and the world of work, including through the full recognition of their labour and human rights. Trade unions recognize the role of interreligious dialogue as key to promoting inclusion, solidarity and social justice.

8. It is essential to move towards another ethical paradigm that surpasses the dominant technocratic one (economic, financial and technological), which allows integral, inclusive and sustainable rights-based development, builds on the reality in each country and region, and places at its center work and workers' trade unions, as a cornerstone for a just and equal society. This supposes unconditional respect for decent work, structuring personal and collective identity in a development model that combines sustainable growth and social justice. All employers, including CEOs of multinational companies, must be fully involved in the creation of a real social market economy, with the imperative to reorient the moral purpose, to respect human and workers rights, the full implementation of ILO standards and to serve the development and stronger cohesion of communities. It requires addressing the problems of those who suffer the most discrimination in accessing to decent work including disabled people, migrants, refugees, women, young people. It means confronting any discrimination in the world of work whether social, indigenous, geographic, physical, ethnic, sexual, generational and underlining the rejection of child labour, forced labour in all its forms and the impact of historical and modern slavery and racism, including systemic racism, to ensure equal dignity and respect for all human beings. It is essential to ensure the equality of women, their right to work and equal remuneration and their right to be free from any kind of violence including sexual and physical.

Trade unions recognize the importance and the necessity for inter and intra-generational solidarity and dialogue.

There must be the guarantee of vital public services including universal free quality education, health and support for the homeless. Universal social protection is also essential and must include care, in particular child care and care for the elderly, pensions and income for the unemployed. Tax evasion undermines public services and social protection and must be eliminated.

For this reason Laudato Si must become a reference and a concrete inspiration for action to sustain a perspective of care of the "common home" and promote this kind of development through collective bargaining and social dialogue, and the negotiation of a just transition with social justice for all.

9. The agreements signed by governments with the Agenda 2030, Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change meet the objectives of Laudato Si. The ILO commission of future of work must look beyond technology and recognize the breath of domestic, rural, industrial and service work to achieve the expectations of these documents. Recommendations must be visionary and include proposals for new standards necessary to meet emerging challenges in the world of work.

10. Recognising the historic levels of inequality born of a model that feeds corporate greed and promotes low wages, the global wages campaign of the trade unions is essential to ensure that no worker is paid below the minimum living wage that ensures people can live with dignity. It is essential that employers respect for the right of workers to collectively bargain for a fair wage, and re-establish a correct equilibrium between working and family time, including the benefits of a “common day off”.

The fight against poverty and exclusion needs to involve all organisations willing to work for the care and protection of their constituents in the struggle for justice, and must include the vulnerable in the world of work, and must fight against all types of corruption.

11. In the context of a troubled world, the commitment of workers' organisations to peace in a world free of nuclear weapons, and the adoption of the paradigm of nonviolent political action proposed by Pope Francis in the World Day of Peace 2017 is particularly important. Conflict and division destroys trust in institutions and increasingly democracies. The politics of extremism including xenophobia, racism and all forms of exclusions must be rejected if we are to achieve the common good.

12. The presence of organisations from all over the world, from all regions, and from a large number of nations makes it urgent to have regional and global coordinated and articulated actions of the workers' movement. For this, the defence and promotion of trade union freedoms and rights that are one of the basic pillars of democratic coexistence, and the construction of an inclusive and proactive social agenda are essential.

13. In order to continue the dialogue started in this forum, it is essential to convene local and regional meetings as a follow up to this one so as to foster dialogue among trade unions and bodies of the Church and other actors.

We call on intellectuals, business leaders, employers, civil society organisations, international organisations and especially the governments of nations, to take ownership of the challenges and opportunities and act in solidarity for integral, inclusive and sustainable development. With “work, land and housing for all”.