By Devon Dick
On Monday, I, along with Les Newman, president of Caribbean Graduate School of Theology, was interviewed by talk-show host Marvia Lawes on LOVE FM about the church and economic justice, among other issues. I posited that with the advent of the official trade union movement subsequent to the 1938 protests, the Church, as a collective organisation, appears to have retreated from advocating on behalf of the rights of the working class.
The church has a unique perspective (shaped by its understanding of God); interpretation of the Bible and a heritage of advocating on behalf of the underclass. The Jamaica Council of Churches (JCC) has made a policy shift and this is hurting the voice of the church to show concern and solidarity with the working class people. In 1999, then general secretary of the JCC, Norman Mills, now lawyer, said, "The JCC took a decision that, instead of making frequent public statements on developments of public interest, it would, from time to time, seek opportunity for direct dialogue with the parties concerned." (Neville Callam, ed. Voicing Concern ix-x.) This statement appears to assume that public statements and dialogue are mutually exclusive. Perhaps, the reason for the pullback from frequent public statements is the ruthless criticisms levelled at the JCC for being politically biased. The JCC and other church groupings need to appreciate that workers are suffering for lack of public solidarity with their just causes.
Bruce Bowen, CEO of Scotiabank Jamaica and president of the Jamaica Bankers Association, at the University College of the Caribbean's 2013 commencement ceremony said that, "Over the last many decades, the gap between the haves and the have-nots has been growing." He added that too many people are living in conditions that are unacceptable. (Gleaner July 15, 2013). Mr Bowen was sounding like a young Edward Seaga, in his famous speech on the haves and have- not.Seaga later became prime minister.
However, a review of the collection of statements and resolutions by JCC over its history will not find any on income disparity. In fact, when last has a church council spoken like Bowen? On July 1, speaking at the Baptist World Alliance Annual Gathering, I said, "Jamaica has one of the highest income disparities in the world, coupled with high unemployment rates and low minimum wage, that you would have expected some pronouncements on these economic matters." It has fallen on deaf ears.
Majority has no pension plan
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Furthermore, Wykeham McNeill, minister of tourism, speaking in the sectoral debate in Parliament, said, "Yet, Mr Speaker, we see these very workers put their heart and soul into their work, but when they exit the workforce, we have to ask, what type of retirement do they really get?" He added, "Mr Speaker, our research indicates that 84 per cent of workers in the accommodations subsector have no pension arrangements at this moment.To put it another way, Mr Speaker, of the approximately 36,000 workers in the accommodation subsector, approximately 30,240 will retire without a pension plan." There was no outcry from the Church and civic society at the state of affairs, and no commitment to do better by the private sector in general, and tourist sector in particular.
Sadly, it is not recognised that a stimulus for the economy can come from better wages, proper pension plan and productivity at the level of the working class. It has been posited that the telecoms sector and lottery industry are driven by low-income earners. Therefore, additional income to this group of earners has a bigger ripple effect on the economy.
The Church ignores the workers' plight to her peril.
Rev Devon Dick is pastor of the Boulevard Baptist Church in St Andrew. He is author of 'The Cross and the Machete', and 'Rebellion to Riot'. Send feedback to columns@ gleanerjm.com.
