DIGNITY OF WORK

AND THE RIGHTS

OF WORKERS
The dignity of work and the rights of workers

■ Work has dignity because it is performed by the human person.

■ People are more important than things; labor is more important than
capital.
■ Work has dignity because it is performed by the human person.
■ People are more important than things; labor is more important than
capital.
• Human Dignity finds special expression in the dignity of work
and in the rights of workers. Through work we participate in
creation. Workers have rights to just wages, rest and fair
working conditions.
• The economy must serve people, not the other way around. Work is more
than a way to make a living; it is a form of continuing participation in
God’s creation. Employers contribute to the common good through the
services or products they provide and by creating jobs that uphold the
dignity and rights of workers—to productive work, to decent and just
wages, to adequate benefits and security in their old age, to the choice of
whether to organize and join unions, to the opportunity for legal status for
immigrant workers, to private property, and to economic initiative.
Workers also have responsibilities:

■ To provide a fair day’s work for a fair day’s pay.

■ To treat employers and co-workers with respect.
■ To carry out their work in ways that contribute to the common
good. Workers, employers, and unions should not only advance
their own interests, but also work together to advance
economic justice and the well-being of all.
TWO VIEWS OF WORK
People often view work as a chore, a necessary but not very
enjoyable reality of life. According to this view, work is toil
which means that it is difficult, challenging, and wearing.
Christian justice has a different view of work, one that says work
still has the potential to be very good. Work pays the bills –
however it also provides a service to the community.

Examples:
■ Engineer
■ Police officer
■ City worker
■ Custodial work
Family Needs:
■ The income from the work enables a family to maintain a
home and buy food and clothing. Work can also provide these
things directly – workers can build shelters, grow food, and
make clothing for themselves and family. Work also educates
the children in the family – parents can show their children
how to be creative with their life through work.
The common good: 
■ Every worker is a member of a larger society, so work
contributes to the common good. A carpenter making a door -
they care more about the person using the door than the door
itself. You cannot appreciate this until you are stuck with a
bulky door.