Employee Relations, Wages and Quality of Life

It is often said that our people are our greatest asset. Good people should be allowed the fruits of their labour. People who stand in the way must not be encouraged or supported. Withdrawing or witholding the wages of labour or otherwise defrauding workers must be denounced. The treatment of workers has been an important theme since ancient times. Remember Moses seeking liberation for his people. To take someone's livelihood is like taking their life. Wages or salaries or whatever must not be left to the laws of the market or arbirary decisions. They must be agreed according to principles of justice and equity. They must provide for the necessities of the worker and his/her family. Work is personal and necessary and usually their sole means of livelihood. In the interests of social and distributive justice workers should be able to bargain for the wages their services have warranted. It should be a social wage. Available resources vary from one country to another and within countries over time but everyone should receive their share of the common stock. It befits human dignity. The great wealth of the few stands in 'violent, offensive contrast' to the abject poverty of the many around the world. The national minimum wage is a step in the right direction. There was a lot of rhetoric about it when it was being mooted. It can be argued that governments should not be allowed to determine the level or for how long. It was decided on and now it is expected though a lot of employers still flout it. The just wage is part of the process of social and economic progress. We should be the 'salt of the earth' to people, agents of hospitality and friendship, giving encouragement and opportunity especially to those who have special gifts to offer. Society is worse off if sections of the community are excluded because a new paradigm leaves them out. It does not make the world a better place, it makes it worse. The excessive indulgences of the rich only make them vulnerable. On the question of quality of life or economic growth we should give more consideration to the quality of life.