World Decent Work Day. October 7.
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The Government and socio-economic agents must commit to quality jobs
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ITD joins, for the 8th consecutive year, this Conference with the call for events for decent work in squares and parishes
The current inflationary situation, initially caused by the disproportionate increase in the profits of the energy companies, has as a direct consequence the increase in the cost of the shopping basket and the life of working families. This context is also a threat to employment, which continues to be strained by the impact of the pandemic. With an unemployment rate of more than 12%, the Church’s initiative for decent work (ITD) denounces that “there are still too many situations of work-related vulnerability in our country”.
In its manifesto, “Without commitment, no decent work”, released on the occasion of the World Day for Decent Work, October 7 – “to celebrate and claim work as a right and an activity for the care of people , the common good and the planet” – underlines that “there are still millions of workers who continue to be unable to access quality employment”. “High structural unemployment and precarious employment affect thousands of people, especially women and young people,” he says.
This is the case of Rosa Casillas. Like many young people in our country, this environmental educator juggles every month to make ends meet. “It’s a situation that I live with anguish, since for weeks I have been working four jobs, one more stable in the morning and others in the afternoon and at weekends. It’s frustrating that sometimes, even with my best efforts, it’s not enough to save up in case a bad month comes around. Temporality, undeclared work, time instability. I don’t understand why young people have to endure such degrading precariousness to try to have a decent life”.
Faced with this situation, ITD claims “the need to continue to control and regulate working conditions so that they are decent”. He also asks that attention to the causes that cause this “protracted tragedy” of work accidents be included on the political agenda, since “two workers die every day in our country, for lack of guaranteeing the safety and health of workers” .
To do this, it calls on “the government and socio-economic agents to commit to quality jobs in an inflationary context of rising prices that workers’ wages cannot support”. “The commitment of those who are sensitive to these situations is a necessary response”, he underlines.
In this sense, the initiative invites to analyze the proposal of Pope Francis to reduce the working day (without leading to lower wages) as a measure for the creation of decent work. Likewise, he considers that the work that is done in the field of care must flourish and become decent work now.
Following the motto “Without committed men and women, decent work will not be possible”, ITD encourages participation in demonstrations of protest and celebration in all the squares and parishes of the dioceses. “Let this awareness become a daily commitment to decent work”, asks the initiative in its manifesto.
The Church’s Initiative for Decent Work (ITD) began in 2014 and is made up of Catholic-inspired organizations and religious congregations, including Cáritas, the Spanish Conference of Religious (CONFER), the Workers’ Brotherhood of Action Catholique (HOAC), Justice and Peace, Young Catholic Students (JEC) and Young Christian Workers (JOC). Its objective is to raise awareness, make visible and denounce an essential issue for the lives of millions of people: human work and to demand decent work “within these organizations, towards the Church in general and towards society”.
DATA ON THE EMPLOYMENT SITUATION
- Population at risk of poverty and exclusion: 13.2 million people (27.8%).
- Risk of poverty due to working conditions (low employment intensity): 11.6%
- Busy: 20.4 million male and female workers
- Employees: 17.3 million people
- Full-time permanent contract: 13.4 million workers
- Temporary contract: 3.8 million (22.3%)
- Part-time contracts: 2.5 million (14.7%)
- Unemployed: 2.9 million people (12.5%). Men: 1.3 million (11%); women: 1.6 million (14.2); young people (16-24 years old) 32.3%
- Households where all members are unemployed: 990,000
- Wages: the wages agreed in the collective agreement are currently increasing by 2.56% compared to inflation above 10%. (-8 points of loss of purchasing power).
- Work accident : 611 workers died in work accidents (2021).