Catholic Bishops’ Statement (The following is a partial text of the recent call by a group of Canadian Catholic Bishops for urgent government action to fight the “social evil” of unemployment. In their document, entitled “Ethical Reflec- tions on the Economic Crisis” the bishops endorsed the kind of economic recovery program proposed repeatedly by the Cana- dian trade union movement. Prime Minister Trudeau has criticized the bishops saying they are not good econo- mists but the trade union movement has welcomed the statement as an important contribution to the campaign to demand Jobs for the unemployed.) As the New Year begins, we wish to share some ethical reflections on the critical issues facing the Canadian economy. In recent years, the Catholic Church has become increasingly concerned about the scourge of unemployment that plagues our society today and the corresponding strug- gles of workers in this country. In response to current economic problems, we suggest that priority be given to the following short-term strategies by both government and business: FIRST, UNEMPLOYMENT RATHER THAN INFLATION, SHOULD BE REC- OGNIZED AS THE NUMBER ONE PROB- LEM TO BE TACKLED IN OVERCOM- ING THE PRESENT CRISIS ... Job security needed Second, an industrial strategy should be developed to create permanent and mean- ingful jobs for people in local communities. To be effective, such a strategy should be designed at both national and regional levels. It should include emphasis: on increased production, creation of new labour intensive industries for basic needs, and measures to ensure job security for workers. Third, a more balanced and equitable program should be developed for reducing and stemming the rate of inflation. This requires shifting the burden for wage con- trols to upper income earners and introduc- ing controls of prices and new forms of taxes on investment income (e.g. dividends, interest). Fourth, greater emphasis should be given to the goal of social responsibility in the current recession. This means that every effort must be made to curtail cutbacks in social services, maintain adequate health care and social security benefits, and above all, guarantee special assistance for the unemployed, welfare recipients, the work- ing poor and one-industry towns suffering from plant shutdowns. Decisive role for labour Fifth, labour unions should be asked to play a more decisive and responsible role in developing strategies for economic recovery and employment. THIS REQUIRES THE RESTORATION OF COLLECTIVE BAR- GAINING RIGHTS WHERE THEY HAVE BEEN SUSPENDED, COLLABORATION BETWEEN UNIONS, AND THE UNEM- PLOYED AND UNORGANIZED WORK ERS, AND ASURANCES THAT LABOUR UNIONS WILL HAVE AN EFFECTIVE ROLE IN DEVELOPING ECONOMIC POLICIES ... The present recession appears to be symp- tomatic of a‘much larger structural crisis in the international system of capitalization The Transnationals We are now in age, for example, where transnational corporations and banks can move capital from one country to another in order to take advantage of cheaper labour conditions, lower taxes, and reduced envir- onmental restrictions. We are also in an age of automation and computers where human work is rapidly being replaced by machines on the assem- bly line and in administrative centres. In effect, capital has become transnational and technology has become increasingly capital-intensive. The consequences are likely to be perman- ent or structural unemployment and increasing marginalization for a large segment of the population of Canada and other countries. Arms race no help IN THIS CONTEXT, THE INCREAS- ING CONCENTRATION OF CAPITAL AND TECHNOLOGY IN THE PRODUC- TION OF MILITARY ARMAMENTS FURTHER INTENSIFIES THIS ECO- NOMIC CRISIS RATHER THAN BRING- ING ABOUT RECOVERY ... THE CURRENT STRUCTURAL CHANGES IN THE GLOBAL ECONOMY, IN TURN, REVEAL A DEEPENING MORAL CRISIS. The current structural changes in the global economy, in turn, reveal a deepening moral crisis. Through these structural changes, “capi- tal” is reasserted as the dominant ornaniz- ing principle of economic life. This orienta- tion directly contradicts the ethical principle that labour, not capital, must be given priority in the development of an economy based on justice. By placing greater importance on the accumulation of profits and machines than on the people who work in a given economy, ‘We've Got the Fever Down!’ es the value, meaning, and dignity of human labour is violated. Human dignity lost Byt creating conditions for permanent unemployment, an increasingly large seg- ment of the population is threatened with the loss of human dignity. In effect, there is a tendency for people to be treated as an impersonal force having little or no significance beyond their eco- nomic purpose in the system. As long as technology and capital are not harnessed by society to serve basic human needs, they are likely to become an enemy rather than an ally in the development of peoples ... There is a very real danger that these same structural and moral problems are present in Canada’s strategies for economic recovery. As recent economic policy state- ments reveal, the primary objective is to restore profitability and competitiveness in certain Canadian industries and provide more favourable conditions for private investment in the country. The private sector is to be the “engine” for economic recovery. To achieve these goals, inflation is put forth as the number one problem. The causes of inflation are seen as workers’ wages, government spending, and low productivity rather than monopoly control of prices. The means for curbing inflation are such austerity measures as the federal six and five wage restraint program and cut-backs in social spending (e.g. hospitals, medicare, public services, education and foreign aid), rather than controls on profits and prices. These measures in turn, have been streng- thened by a series of corporate tax reduc- tions and direct investment incentives for such sectors as the petroleum industry. In effect, the survival of capital takes priority over labour in present strategies for eco- nomic recovery. Victims must sacrifice At the same time, working people, the unemployed, young people, and those on fixed incomes are increasingly called upon to make the most sacrifice for economic recovery. For it is these people who suffer . most from layoffs, wage restraints, and cut backs in social services ... Yet, there are no clear reasons to believe that working people will ever really benefit from these and other sacrifices they are called to make. For even if companies recover and increase their profit margins, the additional revenues are likely to be reinvested in more labour-saving technol- ogy, exported to other countries, or spent on market speculation or luxury goods. An alternative approach calls for a reor- dering of values and priorities in our eco- nomic life. What is required first is a basic shift in values: the goal of serving the human needs of all people in our society must take prece- dence over the maximization of profits and growth, and priority-must be given to the dignity of human labour, not machines ... Reordering priorities An alternative economic vision for example, could place priority on serving the basic needs of all people in ths country, on the value of human labour, and an equitable distribution of wealth and power among people and regions. _ What would it mean to develop an alterna- tive economic model that would place emphasis on socially useful forms of produc- tion; labour-intensive industries; develop- ment; community ownership and control of industries; new forms of worker manage- ment and ownership; and greater use of the renewable energy sources in industrial production? Using Canada’s resources As a country, we have the resources, the capital, the technology and above all else, the aspirations and skills of working men and women required to build an alternative economic future. Yet, the people of this country have seldom been challenged to envision and develop alternatives to the dominant eco- nomic model that governs our society ... From “The Level” 8/Lumber Worker/April, 1983