WCC NEWS: Working together for social justice and decent work

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World Council of Churches - News

WORKING TOGETHER FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE AND DECENT WORK

For immediate release: 23 January 2012

The dignity of work and workers is a common value among the faith
traditions. It is also the focus of a policy handbook titled Convergences:
Decent Work and Social Justice in Religious Traditions, for which the
World Council of Churches (WCC) has collaborated with the International
Labour Organization (ILO).

In the handbook, the WCC and ILO encourage policy-makers to work with faith
communities for social protection and security for all, especially in the
area of labour. Other partners in the project include the Pontifical
Council for Justice and Peace (Link:
http://www.oikoumene.org/index.php?RDCT=2c472255dbdef82d7bc6 ) and the Islamic 
Educational
Scientific and Cultural Organization (Link:
http://www.oikoumene.org/index.php?RDCT=29bae6043e11336ecf89 ).

The publication explores the concepts of solidarity and security expressed
in the ILO’s Decent Work Agenda (Link:
http://www.oikoumene.org/index.php?RDCT=b2558b43324f03705d84
) (DWA), acknowledging the specific contributions and commitments of
religious traditions for social justice, dignity in work and economic
rights.

“When Olav Fykse Tveit, general secretary of the WCC, and I met in 2010,
we both felt that our organizations should engage in a common journey
based on the conviction and knowledge that peace, social justice and the
world of work were intertwined,” says Juan Somavia, the ILO’s director
general, in the book’s foreword.

“This handbook is the very outcome of that encounter,” he added.

The handbook explains the commitments of various religious traditions,
including Catholicism, Protestantism, Islam, Judaism and Buddhism, showing
that spiritual values are essential in the quest for a fair globalization
and wherever the subject of work is considered.

Inspired by the common religious concern for social justice, Somavia
writes, “Human dignity, solidarity and above all the connection between
work, social justice and peace put us on common ground.”

“This handbook is a first step. I see much scope for future collaboration
to expedite the dawn of a new era of social justice drawing on our shared
values,” states Somavia.

Tveit endorses Samavia's views, saying, "As Christians, we believe that
work is given to us as a way to steward our talents and time for the
common good. In a time when so many do not have work, we need to
re-emphacize how work also contributes to justice and peace."

Through this collaboration, the WCC encourages churches to articulate the
value of fairness regarding labour conditions and the market. This
approach has been part of the WCC Alternative Globalization Addressing
People and Earth (Link: 
http://www.oikoumene.org/index.php?RDCT=6277010048e62508a195 )
(AGAPE) process, and was addressed in 2006 during the WCC 9th Assembly in
Brazil.

The handbook also sheds light on the longstanding WCC engagement with the
ILO in inter-religious dialogue initiatives. This manifests the potential
of dialogue in bringing diverse faith traditions together to work for
common concerns for decent work and social justice.

The handbook is available in English, Arabic, French and Spanish.

Download the handbook Convergences: Decent Work and Social Justice in
Religious Traditions (Link:
http://www.oikoumene.org/index.php?RDCT=4c9125a4537d365b997f )


The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness 
and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of 
churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 349 Protestant, 
Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 560 million 
Christians in over 110 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman 
Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, 
from the [Lutheran] Church of Norway. Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland.



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