Clergy-labor talks open

DIALOGUES to resolve labor conflicts would prosper if they are mediated by the clergy, a top church official said.

“If we sit down together, something good can happen. When people are willing to sit down and find out what can be done, the problems will be solved,” Palma told a press conference at the opening of a national conference of “Church People-Workers Solidarity” yesterday.

About 250 church delegates and 150 labor delegates arrived in Cebu City for workshops that start today. Statements and resolutions with the business sector will be issued later.

“The conference is one way to listen to God and his teachings and listen to one another,” Palma said.

Palma said he is considering reviving the Cebu chapter of the Bishop-Businessmen’s Conference (BBC) for Human Development as a venue to discuss sociopolitical and economic issues. The BBC-Cebu used to be led by then Archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal as chairman and the late Ernesto Aboitiz as co-chairman.  It  was instrumental in settling union-management tension  in the Atlas mines in Toledo City and other cases of labor unrest in the 1990s.

“It did not convene for a while as it has to wait for its proper time. There are suggestions from different sectors to revive it,” Palma said.

The national conference is expected to take up labor sector concerns of wages, health benefits, contractualization and others.

The event is hosted by the Archdiocese of Cebu and marks  the 30th anniversary of the encyclical  of Blessed Pope John Paul II “Laborem Exercems” or the Social Concerns of the Church, which emphasizes that the preservation of human dignity in labor must be placed over profit.

In a keynote speech, Jaro Archbishop Angel Lagdameo said  concerns of laborers were rarely taught, written or spoken about in the Church before  this encyclical.

“The free operation of market forces should be accompanied by moral values,” Lagdameo said.