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| Chef Pam / Thexprojectbkk / Wikipedia / CC BY SA 4.0 |
1. Opening prayer or reflection
2. Minutes of last meeting
3. Review of happenings
What happened this week? It may be something that happened at work, or in the family. It may be a conversation or an article you read. Share about something that made you angry or happy or confused or depressed – something that really affected you.
• What caused this to happen?
• How did it affect the people involved?
• What are the good and bad things about this happening?
• What was your reaction/action?
• Was that a good reaction? A responsible reaction?
4. The enquiry – Respecting work and workers
When you begin work you enter into a contract with your employer. You agree to do a special work and they agree to pay you for this work. But a worker is not a machine. A worker should be respected as a person. The employer must not only pay just wages but also provide reasonable conditions and reasonable demands. When this does not happen, workers are unhappy at work and complain about injustice.
SEE
1. Do you get a good income for your work? Do you get a just income?
2. Do you do overtime? Do you receive extra pay?
3. Is overtime voluntary? Are you asked to do too much overtime?
4. Are you treated with respect at work? Are others treated with respect? Give examples.
5. Is your workplace safe? Do accidents happen at your workplace?
6. Do you belong to a trade union? Is it a good trade union? Why?
JUDGE
1. “Workers are always complaining – they are always making new demands. They no longer do a fair day’s work for a fair day's pay.” Discuss.
2. “Workers have a responsibility not to endure injustice but to struggle to overcome injustice in the workplace.” Discuss.
3. Do you think that your demands are made just because you want more, or are they a matter of justice?
ACT
1. What is the most unjust situation we have heard about at this meeting?
2. What exactly do we want to change?
3. Could we plan one step that would be a beginning of achieving this change?
4. What are the difficulties?
5. How can we support this action?
6. Who could find out some more about their trade union – What they are doing etc.?
Action Ideas
"In a large factory the supervisor (male) turns very “friendly” with the workers (female), leaning over them to inspect their work, ‘accidentally’ touching. The girls were angry but afraid to complain because they feared dismissal. One girl formed a unity of workers in her section. They all agreed to join in saying ‘Ooooooooh’ in a loud voice the next time they saw this happening. When they did this, the supervisor was very embarrassed and they succeeded in stopping this sort of harassment."(THAILAND)
5. General business
Read and prepare next week’s enquiry topic.
Who will lead next week’s meeting – and who will be secretary?
During the week try talking about the next discussion topic with other friends, at work or social occasions, to get their opinions.
6. Closing prayer and social