Be sensitive to workers’ plight, says Goa Archbishop

Panaji – On the occasion of Labour Day, May 1, the Archbishop of Goa and Daman, Rev. Filipe Neri Ferrao has urged the clergy and the laity to be aware of the workers plight and come to their aid. The Church must work with zeal to improve the living conditions of the workers, especially those in the unorganised sector, the migrant workers and the daily wage earners, he said.

“The rights of the workers, the promotion of their dignity and the welfare of their families must become our priority. The problems of the unorganised workers are many indeed,” the archbishop said. “We should feel deeply for the migrant workers, who have left their land, in their thousands, in order to earn their daily bread in Goa. They make their living by building our houses and cities and performing tasks Goans view as down grading for themselves.”

“Each of us should be concerned about the unjust environment they face, how and where they live, their nutrition their moral and faith life. In collaboration with the government and with people of other faiths, the Church must work with zeal to improve their living conditions,” he said.

The Archbishop has also asked that the pastoral plans that are drawn up annually by each parish should reflect these concerns of the Church. “Priests, religious and parish pastoral councils should take the lead in discussing such worker’s problems and in taking the necessary steps to solve them,” he said.

Recalling the words of Dr. Ambedkar on India’s Independence – “What we have today is a political democracy. What we do not yet have is a social democracy” – the Archbishop explained that social democracy is a means of ensuring justice and equal opportunities for the poor citizens to development without discrimination. He also stressed that the needs of the workforce should be kept in mind when formulating plans and schemes for the betterment of the people.