DIALOGUES to resolve labor conflicts would prosper if they are mediated by the clergy, a top church official said.
鈥淚f we sit down together, something good can happen. When people are willing to sit down and find out what can be done, the problems will be solved,鈥� Palma told a press conference at the opening of a national conference of 鈥淐hurch People-Workers Solidarity鈥� yesterday.
About 250 church delegates and 150 labor delegates arrived in Cebu City for workshops that start today. Statements and resolutions with the business sector will be issued later.
鈥淭he conference is one way to listen to God and his teachings and listen to one another,鈥� Palma said.
Palma said he is considering reviving the Cebu chapter of the Bishop-Businessmen鈥檚 Conference (BBC) for Human Development as a venue to discuss sociopolitical and economic issues. The BBC-Cebu used to be led by then Archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal as chairman and the late Ernesto Aboitiz as co-chairman.聽 It聽 was instrumental in settling union-management tension聽 in the Atlas mines in Toledo City and other cases of labor unrest in the 1990s.
鈥淚t did not convene for a while as it has to wait for its proper time. There are suggestions from different sectors to revive it,鈥� Palma said.
The national conference is expected to take up labor sector concerns of wages, health benefits, contractualization and others.
The event is hosted by the Archdiocese of Cebu and marks聽 the 30th anniversary of the encyclical聽 of Blessed Pope John Paul II 鈥淟aborem Exercems鈥� or the Social Concerns of the Church, which emphasizes that the preservation of human dignity in labor must be placed over profit.
In a keynote speech, Jaro Archbishop Angel Lagdameo said聽 concerns of laborers were rarely taught, written or spoken about in the Church before聽 this encyclical.
鈥淭he free operation of market forces should be accompanied by moral values,鈥� Lagdameo said.