HONG KONG (Mabuhay): In his latest encyclical entitled, Charity in Truth (Caritas in Veritate), Pope Benedict XVI refers to the mass movement of migrant labour around the world as a fact of modern life to which far too little attention is paid. He issues a warning that forces are at work seeking to treat migrant labour as a simple commodity and as just another production factor.

“This is a striking phenomenon because of the sheer numbers of people involved, the social, economic, political, cultural and religious problems that it raises, and the dramatic challenges it poses to nations and the international community,” he writes.

The pope is calling for attention to be paid to the situation of migrant workers by the international community, as it is something beyond what either the sending nation or the receiving nation can adequately address independently. Furthermore, he notes that there is reluctance on the part of both sending and host nations to take responsibility for the welfare of migrant workers, as they tend not to look beyond what they can contribute to national coffers.

“No country can be expected to address today’s problems of migration by itself,” he notes. “We are all witnesses of the burden of suffering, the dislocation and the aspirations that accompany the flow of migrants. The phenomenon, as everyone knows, is difficult to manage; but there is no doubt that foreign workers, despite any difficulties concerning integration, make a significant contribution to the economic development of the host country through their labour, besides that which they make to their country of origin through the money they send home.”

In warning against the strong tendency in today’s world to treat migrant workers as just one other factor in production costing, the pope says, “They must not, therefore, be treated like many other factors of production. Every migrant is a human person who, as such, possesses fundamental, inalienable rights that must be respected by everyone and in every circumstance.”

Pope Benedict highlights the direct link between poverty and unemployment, as well as the devaluation of the dignity of the work of human hands. The pope then quotes from his predecessor, Pope John Paul II, in his encyclical, On Human Work (Laborem Exercens), describing how limited work opportunities contribute to the devaluing of both the work and the worker, “… because a low value is put on work and the rights that flow from it, especially the right to a just wage and to the personal security of the worker and his or her family.”

Pope Benedict points out that Pope John Paul II gave his personal endorsement to the work of the International Labour Organization in an appeal for a global coalition in favor of decent work, saying that it is an aspiration of every family in every country to work free from discrimination, as well as earn sufficient in order to meet the needs of the family, provide education for children and keep them from being forced into child labour.

He also stressed the right of all workers to organize freely and make their voices heard. “It is appropriate to recall how important it is that labour unions—which have always been encouraged and supported by the Church—should be open to the new perspectives that are emerging in the world of work. Looking to wider concerns than the specific category of labour for which they were formed, union organizations are all called to address some of the new questions arising in our society.”

The pope calls for close attention to be paid to the changing relationship between the worker and the consumer, saying that there are indications that the consumer is tending to replace the worker as the focus of the purpose of work. He said that this calls for careful attention and study by all responsible for the welfare of workers, as they also have the right to do work that allows the freedom to rediscover roots at a personal, family and spiritual level, as well as reach retirement age with a guaranteed security.

He adds that civil society is the proper setting in which to defend and promote labour rights and conditions, especially on behalf of those who are exploited or unrepresented, and whose woeful condition is often ignored by society.