The Bible is a very important document for Christians, to say the least! These Scriptures speak against those who make profit through the exploitation of workers; God is “against those who oppress the hired workers in their wages, the widow and the orphan” (Malachi 3:5).

Christians have a tradition of Sabbath, of an allocated time of rest, where the human soul, body and mind have the opportunity to be restored and refreshed for the work to come. The Sabbath is a sign of freedom (Heb 4:9-10) – that can caution against making work a false idol. The Sabbath allows time for worship, and constitutes a barrier against people becoming involuntary (or voluntary) slaves to work (and is thus a defence of the poor).

Jesus probably spent most of his life as a manual worker – a carpenter (Mark 6:3). Jesus believed that the meaning of the Sabbath had been lost due to mere surface observance (of the rules relating to it) – rather than adherence to the real reason behind it, which is based on the needs of the person (Mk 2:27). Jesus healed people on the Sabbath day to illustrate that this is the day of God, and that it is the day where people can dedicate themselves to God and others (Lk 6:6-11 / Lk 13:10-17 / Lk 14:1-6). Near the end of the Bible, the Letter of James defends the rights of workers to a just wage (Jas 5:4).

For Christians, it follows then that people are not simply human resources alongside other resources. Any work environment should be a place where people are respected and where they can enjoy dignified conditions and responsibilities and paid appropriately in return for hard work.

Justice at work (and human rights)

The market place is driven by the desire for profit. Unfortunately some will value profit more than the need to offer dignity to others. This is why the work environment must be ordered in such a way that protects people’s rights and true value.

In the 2006 policy, Dignity in Humanity: Recognising Christ in Every Person, the Uniting Church in Australia affirmed support for the human rights standards recognised by the United Nations (this includes those issued by the International Labour Organisation). The Uniting Church noted that “internationally recognised human rights are indivisible, universal and inalienable” and that, “no rights are possible without all that is necessary for a decent life, including the rights to work with just pay and conditions…”

Thanks to Rev Deacon Natalie A Dixon-Monu who contributed some ideas for this section.
Also see – Compendium of the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, 2004 (this informs the Scriptural references above)

[Next section] [Home] [To take action on employment and justice go here]