Chapter Le trasformazioni nel mondo del lavoro come sfida per la giustizia. Prospettive e criteri dell’etica sociale cattolica

Abstract

The transformations of work, which were the starting point for the elaboration of Catholic social teaching in the 19th century, are still a central challenge today. However, precarious work that now seems to prevail is not a destiny. In accordance with the encyclical “Laborem Exercens” (1981), a key document of the Catholic social teaching analysed in this chapter, the dignity of work and the priority of work over capital as well as the right to work and to a fair wage must be respected. The minimum wage as well as the balance between work and leisure through the protection of rest days are among the tools that can transpose these ethical guidelines into the contemporary world of work.