CARITAS Philippines President Bishop Gerardo Alminaza urged labor groups to unify against the systemic injustices besieging Filipino workers.
“Most workers do not ask for luxury. They ask for what is basic and moral: stable work, fair pay, safety, rest, and respect. If the workers are sacrificed for profit, there is something wrong with the system,” Alminaza said in Filipino on Saturday at a labor consultative assembly in Quezon City.
He noted that these systemic injustices include low wages, job insecurity, unsafe working conditions, and exclusion from decision-making processes.
Alminaza said that while capital is necessary for companies to prosper, the workers are their lifeblood.
“No matter how big our capital is, it won’t grow; it won’t prosper if there are no workers,” he said.
Alminaza expounded on the “Hayuma” framework, which intends to mend, heal and repair what is broken.
“Hayuma begins where people are wounded. The Lord has a preferential love for the poor. The Church should stand where Christ stands — and that is with the workers,” he said, highlighting the church’s belief in the dignity of labor.