Pressing for social dialogue

In a document on the ongoing recession and business restructuring, presented during the French Bishops’ Plenary Assembly in Paris on April 17, the bishops highlighted the path of social dialogue as a way to recover from the social and economic crisis in France. Indeed, dark clouds are hovering over France, especially after large companies such as Peugeot-Psa, Goodyear e Renault announced restructuring plans that risk thousands of job losses. The French police have been voicing concerns on the outbreak of social violence. Also the Minister of Interior Affairs Manuel Valls, reiterated that protest movements risk becoming radical. Concerns on the return of the "casseurs" were voiced some time ago by the French Minister, who ascribed such risk to the worsening of the crisis in the Country. "We are witnessing surging social anger, sparked off by the economic and financial downturn, precariousness, unemployment and redundancy plans". Living a Church with the poor. The bishops conveyed their concerns in the document. "In this Spring 2013 – they write – business restructuring plans are increasing. Reiterated announcements of dismissals increase workers’ and families’ worries for the future". Low growth forecasts for 2013 weigh heavily on this situation. Further redundancies are expected, along with deteriorations in companies’ health status. On April 9 the Abbé Pierre Foundation presented a report on the situation in France, which shows that as many as 3.1 million people have lost their jobs (10.8% more compared to 2011) and that December 2012 was the 19th consecutive month marked by increasing unemployment rates. The Church in France decided to take action: a meeting in Lourdes is scheduled to take place May 9 to 11, titled "Diaconia 2013: we serve fraternity. To live a Church with the poor". 10thousand people from all over the Country are expected to attend, 2500 of whom are living a situation of precariousness. "Comforted by the powerful first words and gestures of Pope Francis – said the promoters of the event – the meeting will bear witness to the French Church’s closeness to the poor". The common good. The document, presented in the plenary meeting, was written by the Family and Society Council of the French Bishops’ Conference, headed by bishop Jean-Luc Brunin. "Today – it states – it is increasingly necessary for the Church to take the floor to communicate her solidarity to all those hit by the crisis and those who at various levels exert their responsibility to prevent it or amend it negative consequences". The bishops also called upon the faithful to "extend their glance further ahead" in the quest of solutions to serious problems, which for the bishops is to be found along the path of "social dialogue". Before the ongoing restructuring plans envisaged by industrial, food enterprises and tertiary, entailing serious consequences on employment, "we shouldn’t forget that enterprises represent a human community", the document underlines. According to Church social doctrine enterprises exist as a human working community whereby workers, managers and shareholders live in a dimension of interdependence for which they ought to seek together the means to serve the common good of the enterprise". Redundancies are "a choc and a source of suffering" for all those involved. The bishops call upon entrepreneurs and shareholders to acknowledge this and take appropriate measures. They equally call upon entrepreneurs and union representatives to address business restructuring made inevitable by technological developments and market trends. In the final appeal the bishops invite the faithful to "promote social dialogue for the benefit of the common good" in a "spirit of justice where efforts are proportionate to the ability to assume them".