|
Page 1 of 4 Work occupies a central position in our western cultures  It is an unavoidable element of our identity. Introducing oneself is based on what one person does – his/her job. Many people build most of their social links, relationships through work and the contrary is only true for the unemployed. Even the YCW’s identity depends on a professional aspect: young, Christians and workers.
- It gives access or rights to health services, family subsidies for children, right to a pension, etc.
- It determinates our situation in society, whereas, in the Middle Ages, it was birth that determined this situation. Aristocrats e.g. were not allowed to work (even not after having become poor) but would lose their position if they started to work. Today only a minority rejects work or only wants to work part-time, because they see another important dimension of life and feel threatened by the importance work may take in their lives.
There is a distinction to be made between: JOB – WORK – ACTIVITY:
JOB designs an institutionalised way of working, that gives an income and is done within the framework of a contract with given hours of work, description of tasks and responsibilities, level of salary…
WORK is a broader term. It means to do things (participants of meeting arranging the room for the given meeting) or to produce goods and services, but not linked to a job.
ACTIVITY means to be active, to do things. To eat is an activity. It is neither a job, nor work except for those who prepare the meal. To relax or play are activities, they may be a job e.g. if you organise games for children.
- There is confusion between job and work. (E.g. mothers staying at home say they don’t work, meaning in fact they have no job) and social recognition is linked to having a job. In fact they do a job, but that is not recognised as such.
Another distinction to be made is that between a job and solvable job. When we make the balance of paid work we speak only about work linked to a salary – we live in a salary society. The salary society is the image of our countries and is in fact the result of the defence of the workers’ rights. Wage earners are better defended then the isolated, small independent and jobless people. But this salary society also hides growing minorities of people who will never have access to the conditions that we call human rights.
Alternatives: There is a possibility for jobs if we go beyond the traditional jobs and that give higher quality to our lives, e.g. to repair the effects of industrialisation, but there is no money for this kind of jobs. It would be wrong to believe that we could live in our modern society with less and less jobs. Moreover many human needs are being ignored or only little taken into account. Many jobs are possible if the decision makers decide to fund these sectors. Three examples:
In our aging societies, health problems are increasing. The development and diversification of health care could allow to better take into account some illnesses worldwide. Research and exploring treatments of Aids make serious progresses. Africa is the first one to need these. Jobs are possible. But who will pay? Education and research are the pillars of the development of the societies and of the people. Nearly all the countries try to achieve same savings in this sector, even though schools and research centres play an important part, as well as youth organisations like YCW who knows what a huge task has to be carried with the young workers. Environment, already mentioned, is being taken more a more into account. But progresses are too slow. Relating development to environment, another conception of our relation to nature, the concern for healthy food, treating and recycling garbage, these are all possible sectors in which new jobs could be created.
- What was characteristic of salary work was threatened. Time limited contracts and work for interim societies increase. People looking for asylum arrive in our society. These people are a very good labour force to carry out work that doesn’t come under labour conditions and we speak about undocumented work. But also others are in this situation.
People in prisons have the right to work, to carry out small tasks for which they do not need qualifications and are badly paid but prefer that than to be bored. Example: The introduction of new technologies has decreased the volume of jobs necessary for given productions. When these were hard or repetitive jobs (like in the coal mines or steel industry), this is positive, but it can be negative if the people have no other possibility to make a living. At the present time banks and super markets have the possibility to reduce their staff. Modern technologies scarify jobs. But are the sacked people useless? << Start < Prev 1 2 3 4 Next > End >>
|
