Pope Francis appeals to respect the dignity of workers during Covid-19 pandemic
5581 Min Read
Pope Francis has urged employers to respect the dignity of workers, particularly migrants, in the face of economic difficulties brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Speaking at the end of his general audience, held from the papal library instead of St Peter’s Square because of Italy’s lockdown, he said:
It’s true that the crisis is affecting everyone but the dignity of people must always be respected.”
He said he had received a series of messages about labour problems on May 1, the day most countries celebrate workers’ rights. Francis said he wanted to defend “all exploited workers and I invite everyone to turn the crisis into an occasion where the dignity of the person and the dignity of work can be put back at the centre of things.”
He highlighted the exploitation of farmworkers in Italy, the majority of whom are migrants. It comes after a series of arrests in recent weeks of farm owners and gangmasters in Italy who recruit and supervise field workers. Last week, three farm owners and a Gambian migrant were arrested on charges of exploiting about 50 migrant farmworkers in the southern Puglia region.
