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Movement of Christian Workers
St, Joseph’s, Watford Way,
London, NW4 4TY

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Registered Charity 1023530

The MCW is a member of
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WMCW May 1st Message 2007 PDF Print E-mail

DECENT WORK FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT - THROUGH INTERNATIONAL WORKER SOLIDARITY

 

mmtclogored.jpgAn unconstrained global free market economy is never going to create sustainable development, because millions of people are excluded from decent education and health care, two key United Nations indicators of sustainable development.

 

The logic of neo-liberal economics is the blind pursuit of profit for small powerful elites, at the expense of working people and their families. Monopoly capitalism, big business, and the banks are driving this insatiable search for profit, which is having a devastating impact on the climate through global warming, while more than 800 million people will go to bed tonight and every night without having eaten. The International community cannot ensure sustainable development whilst these conditions continue to exist.

 

Systematic incorporation of children and teenagers inside the world of work, and in particular the informal sector, seems to be part of a Neo Liberal strategy. Work schedules push workers to the extremes of human endurance, working 10 to 12 hours daily, with constant demands for overtime working which in many companies is not very well remunerated.

 

For millions of workers, the world of work is an undignified life of drudgery. Despite continuous strong economic growth in the global economy, unemployment, poverty and labour migration is worsening. Almost 1.5 billion workers and their families are forced to survive on less than 2US$ per day. But it does not have to be that way.

 

Thousand of members of the WMCW are participating everyday in collective struggles to bring about Decent Work for all, by creating cooperatives, defending the rights of workers in Free Trade Zones, organising workers in the informal sector and engaging in political struggles for a decent social security system based on the principle of solidarity.

 

At a time when the globalisation of the economy is creating ever growing gaps between rich and poor, and there is an increasing spread of violent conflicts, it is vital to recall the gospel of Jesus which summons us to a universal solidarity and a commitment to justice and peace to create an alternative form of globalisation based on solidarity. This is crucial for the survival of our planet.

 

The 1st May is a day we wish to celebrate with all the workers of the world, of all faiths and none, all races and colours. We have a common struggle to build a new world based on solidarity and where all women and men can make a positive contribution to a sustainable world, through decent and dignified employment.

 

Paul Edwards General Secretary

For the Executive Council of the World Movement of Christian Workers.

 
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