By Albert Thyrniang
The other day was the International Workers’ Day, known as May Day. Labour Day, the celebration of the working classes, in popularity has overtaken the other May Day, the ancient northern hemisphere spring festival, also celebrated on May 1. International Workers’ Day was born of the Haymarket affair that took place on May 4, 1886. A peaceful rally in support of striking workers’ demand for an eight-hour work day turned fatal when a bomb was thrown at the police on duty. The ensuing gunfire resulted in the death of 7 police officers and 4 civilians and is hence hailed as the ‘Haymarket martyrs’. Many protestors were given harsh sentences, including life imprisonment. The tragedy gave a big boost to workers who were campaigning for eight-hour work policy and better wages and working conditions. Subsequently May Day became an annual event all over the world to raise awareness on the rights of workers and to lay stress on the dignity of labour.
Work is an essential part of human existence. It is indispensable to earning a living. It is supposed to be the only way to make money. Work gives a sense of usefulness and worth to an individual. Even a rich person works because that is the nature of humans.
The reason to engage in work is, of course, not limited to individual dimension. The social, economic, historical, ethical, aesthetical angle and the philosophical and theological foundation provide the basis for the significance of work.
Obviously an over-all perspective of work is not possible in this 1000 word essay but in a nutshell the Christian theology may be presented thus. Work is biblical. Found in the creation narrative of Genesis the most important human activity is considered part of the original human vocation as God instructed the ‘first humans’ to “tilt the earth.” St. Paul’s letters and the Gospels illustrate the scriptural evidence for work as an inherent part of being human. Further in theology, work is seen as ‘cooperation with God’ in the on-going creation. As creation is not a finished product, human beings are called co-creators to make the world better in every way. Work is also assigned an eschatological significance. The futuristic God’s new creation depends on the work we do here on earth at present. The eternal world depends on the work performed in temporal world. This realisation is supposed to give meaning to our work.
Six documents of the Church are referred in this connection. In the encyclical letter, Rerum Novarum, 1891, Pope Leo XIII called on the faithful to “save unfortunate working people from the cruelty of men of greed, who use human beings as mere instruments for money-making, condemned excessive labour and argued for a just living wages while endorsing the formation of “workingmen’s unions”. After Leo XIII it is revealing to know that Gaudium Et Spes, 1965, Laborem Exercens, 1981, Economic Justice for All, 1986 and Caritas Veritate, 2009 all promote workers’ associations. In 1931 Pope Pius XI wrote the Quadragesimo Anno to express concern about the unjust distribution of wealth and huge disparity between the few exceedingly rich and the unnumbered ‘propertyless’. This year May Day was on a Sunday. The feast of St. Joseph the Worker, went by without being noticed in many a religious setting. The backbone of the Church (in fact of any religion and the society at large) are the workers. It is saddening that they are not acknowledged and even remembered. Ordinary people may not be aware of the gymnastics of philosophy and theology but they are the ones who make families, the society and human existence better. This writer has been at a centre in Karbi Anglong. Stories of the 80s and 90s are told of how the new settlers faced multiple evictions. Poverty was at its peak. People had hardly anything to eat. Sickness abounded. Dwellings were the most modest. In 2022, not that one sees rapid progress but inhabitants are in slightly better situation by dint of hard work. Bamboos and thatched houses are gradually giving way to RCC buildings.
These days the ‘annual’ Easter blessing is on. It can be hectic. But it is an opportunity to interact with every family. You could see and feel the struggle to survive and to uplift themselves. In the area I reside it is overwhelming to discover that in every household there is at least one member working in the metros of Mumbai, Bangalore, Delhi etc. In many cases mothers and fathers leave behind kids with their grandmothers. Video calls cannot substitute for the physical warmth. However, it is they who construct concrete houses for their family and bear the expenses for the education of their children. In the meantime, I don’t know whether my sprinkling with holy water and raising of hands bring blessing but I am blessed. The poor with two tiny rooms and a petite kitchen is all that they have at a makeshift table.
Another set of workers are in Meghalaya’s notorious mining fields. The NGT ban has not stopped rat hole mining. People are in action. It is the most open kept secret. The other day a ‘mahajon’ (trader) in Shallang area who came home for Easter, said, ‘before the police come we are warned to leave the place.’ He informed that illegal mining and transportation is business as usual. I have also visited at least two men who escaped death but are crippled due to accidents in coal mines in Jaintia Hills. The Meghalaya High Court has to intervene as the government is least interested in carrying out the orders of the highest court of the land.
The government, the biggest public body, is to work for the general welfare. But what we see today is to the contrary. Even for removing of garbage the court has to come in. With the stay in the recruitment process, the border issue could also be settled by the court. Has Meghalaya become a state run by the court?
In every village leaders ask, “Will you bless the houses of those who are not married? What about those who sell liquor? Will we go into the houses of those living in adultery? And shall we bypass the ‘apostates’ or non-church goers? These questions are asked not only in rural areas. Even in Shillong animated discussions take place on these issues I am told. It is amazing that in the 21st century these sentiments are still relevant. Who started avoiding unmarried families? Who initiated the boycott of liquor sellers? Who ostracized the adulterers and apostates’? These questions were prevalent when we were kids, almost 50 year also. Should we continue with the same mentality? Clergymen should work to make the lives of their faithful easier rather than exert physical and psychological punishment where there is none. There is nothing in the code of Cannon Law because Easter blessing of homes is a unique practice in Khasi Hills that is extended to the other parts of North East states. Jesus who declared that he did the work of his Father would certainly befriend those whom we distance.
Mentioned above are the Church documents supporting the rights of workers to form unions. Few perhaps know that the Vatican Council document, Gaudium Et Spes declared the right to form labour unions without fear of retaliation. Laborem Exercens teaches that “workers should be assured the right to strike, without being subjected to personal penal sanctions for taking part in a strike.” Do workers in Church have unions? Do Church paid teachers and non-teaching staff form organisations? What would be the attitude of the Church if there is such a move? Would the Church be hostile? How do these workers express themselves? How do they deal with important issues? Are they able to speak as a group?
One of the first social teachings of the Church on work, Rerum Novarum more than 130 years ago batted for a just living wages. Today, in many places, workers in the Church are paid poorly. Their pay is usually stagnant for many years. There is no PF for their services. The Church does not practice what it preaches. Perhaps, one disappointment on Pope Francis’ ‘Synod on Synodality’ is that it is not being discussed in depth. The Pontiff envisages that the process of the synod is the synod itself. For this he exhorts to initiate discussions at every level, from the diocese level down to the villages. Men, women, youth and children are to meet to deliberate on the theme/themes of the synod. The Pope specifically directs that everyone should be listened to and anyone can speak out without fear. The faithful could ask questions like, “What are difficulties, obstacles, and wounds in the local Church? How is the decision-making done?” The synod could have revolutionised the Church. But perhaps a serious exercise is not being done at the grassroots. Dioceses may forward superficial reports to Rome. We may miss the bus. This synod, dubbed to be very different from the rest, might turn out to be just the same. Clericalism will prolong as the section that matters most is not given due prominence.
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