CHAPTER 14:

WORK ETHICS
 WORK
 Is a creative process for self-development. When
properly combined with leisure, it is healthful and promotes
both mental and physical well-being.
 It is not only a personal activity. It is a social process with the
preservation of human society as its ultimate purpose.
 Has its moral and legal implications. Thus, Andres Bonifacio
reminds us; “Diligence in your work which sustains you is the
basis of love, love for oneself, love for the wife and children,
love for the brothers and countrymen.” (Deberes de Los Hijos
del Pueblo, no. 9). Therefore, Manuel Quezon admonishes us:
“ Work well and with enthusiasm.”
 Is the legitimate use of our mental and bodily powers for
economic gain or profit.
 1. WORK is the “use” or application of our
physical powers to accomplish a certain task. It
is “use” because nobody can own another man’s body,
nor can anyone sell his body or part of it, for purposes
of material advantage and gain. The sanctity of human
life demands preservation, care, and proper use of our
bodily faculties. In this sense, prostitution is not work,
for it consist in selling a bodily function for economic
consideration.

 2. WORK is for the purpose of obtaining an economic

gain for the laborer. It belongs to the essence of work
that it be compensated. Such compensation is based
on justice and can take the form of wages, share in
 THE RIGHT TO WORK
 Is based on natural law. Man has
basic needs which must be satisfied
in order for him to survive. This
right implies the right to private
ownership. If a person cannot own
the means by which he derives his
subsistence, then he cannot provide
for his life and for those of his
 WORK AS A NATURAL DUTY TO
 ONESELF
Work is directed to the promotion of life. It is
personal duty since each one has the moral obligation
to take care of himself and not be a burden to others.
This obligation assumes greater proportion as one
becomes head of a family. “For it is a most sacred law of
nature,” says Leo XIII, “that a father must provide food
and al necessaries for those whom he has begotten;
and, similarly, nature dictates that a man’s children,
who carry one as it were, and continue his personality,
should be provided by him with all that is needful to
enable them honorably to keep themselves from want
and misery in the uncertainties of this mortal life.”
 CAPITAL AND LABOR
 CAPITAL refers to the owner or investors of an
industry.
 LABOR refers to the hired workers employed by
the industry.
 CAPITAL AND LABOR are complimentary to each
other. Unfortunately, the relationship between these
two sectors is often strained due to disregard of
justice.
 THE LABOR CODE OF THE PHILIPPINES defines
the relationship between capital and labor. But no
amount of laws can truly harmonize men, unless man
himself accepts that goodness and justice come from
 THE QUESTION OF JUST WAGE
 Is often the bone of contention between labor and
capital. It is usually claimed that wages are fixed by
mutual agreement between employee and
employer. Thus, it is suggested that the employer does
this right when he fulfills his obligation to the worker by
paying him what has been agreed upon.
 It is objected however that the wage “mutually agreed
upon” may not necessarily be advantageous to the
worker who, because of poverty, is forced into
such agreement. In this situation, it is not unusual for a
Filipino worker to rationalize his predicament: “Mabuti
na sa wala.”
 Even the minimum wage prescribed by law may not
 WHAT IS A “JUST WAGE”?
 It is defined as that remuneration
which is enough to support the
wage-earner in reasonable and
frugal comfort.
 This definition implies so many variables
to be useful in determining which is Just
Wage.

 For Capital to fix wages unilaterally

 Doubtless before, we can decide whether wages are
adequate, many things have to be considered; but rich
men and masters should remember this – that to
exercise pressure for the sake of gain, upon the
indigent and destitute, and to make one’s profit
out of the need of another, is condemned by all
laws, human and divine.
 To defraud any one of wages that are his due is a
crime which cries to the avenging anger of Heaven.
(Ibid. 9).

 In our country and precisely that the determination of

wages be equitable and just, the National Wage and
Productivity Commission (NWCP) and the Regional
Tripartite Wage and Productivity Board (RTWPB)
 THE JUST WAGE: A FAMILY
 WAGE
The Catholic Bishops of the Philippines, in a pastoral letter on “Social Justice”,
May 1949, refer to a just wage as “family” wage, that is, commensurate
to the needs of a modest average Filipino family.
 In the present economy the great bulk of the country’s land and wealth are
possessed by a small minority to whom the rest must come for work. Such an
economy can be justified only if this great majority of the people can obtain in
return for their work a wage that will supply them with the minimum human
standard of living which we have defined above; a wage, namely, that will
enable a man to provide a sufficiency of decent food and clothing for
himself and his family, a decent home, security for sickness and old
age, and the means and leisure for moderate and wholesome
recreation. To all of these every man has a strict right; and when the only
means by which a man can obtain them is in exchange for his labor. In other
words, a man’s labor must be worth at least a wage that guarantees
him all these. Such a wage we call a “family wage”.
 The Bishops conclude their exhortation by reminding employers that workers
deserve a family wage “not in charity merely, but as a duty of social
 FACTORS DETERMINING
 WAGES
Pope John XXIII declares that in determining wages
“the norms of justice and equity should be strictly
observed”.
 This requires that workers receive a wage sufficient
to lead a life worthy of man and to fulfill family
responsibilities properly. But determining what
constitutes an appropriate wage, the following must
necessarily be taken into account: first of all, the
contribution of individuals to the economic effort;
the economic state of the enterprise within which
they work; the requirements of each community,
especially as regards over-all employment; finally,
what concerns the common good of all peoples,
 UNIONISM: A NATURAL RIGHT
 Every worker has a right to join a union in order
to protect his livelihood and to cooperate in
building a social order. The Catholic Bishops note
that “it is morally wrong, (and in our country a
crime punishable by law), for anyone to interfere
with this natural right either by threats or by
discrimination against those who join such
associations” (Pastoral Letter on Social Justice).
 if the Labor is unorganized, it can have no effective
voice to protect its right and to bargain
collectively with Capital. Therefore, for as long as
unions are peaceful and seek their objectives by
 MORALITY OF STRIKE
 Organized labor often resort to
strikes.
 A strike is an organized cessation
from work by workers for the
purpose of forcing their employers
to assent to their demands (Henry
Davis, 84).
 For a strike to be moral, the
following conditions must be

present:
A) there is a sufficient and just
reason for it;

 B) the intended good results

must be proportionate to the evil
effects;

 C) the means employed are

 1. a Strike should not be resorted to, unless all
other means of conciliation had been tried. There
must be sufficient reason for holding it, such as just
demands of workers.
 2. the good results must be weighed as against
the evil effects. Prudence dictates that where
more harm than good would result, a strike
should be ruled out. For example, the prospect of
getting a small wage increase would not be
proportionate to the distress, violence, or damage to
the industry itself. Indeed, as the saying goes, one
does not kill the goose that lays the golden eggs.
 3. Threats, Coercion, or Violence should never
be employed by either labor or capital in
settling their differences. A strike is not a war
 THE RIGHTS OF LABOR
 The Philippines is a signatory to the United
Nations International Covenant of Economics,
Social and Cultural Rights.

 1. The State Parties to the present

Covenant recognize the right to work,
which includes the right of everyone to the
opportunity to gain his living by work
which he freely chooses or accepts, and
will take appropriate steps to safeguard
this right. (Part III, Art. 6.).
 2. The State Parties to the present Covenant recognize the
right to work, which includes the right of everyone to the
enjoyment of just and favorable conditions of work, which
ensure, in particular.
a)Remuneration which provides all workers as a minimum:

(1)Fair wages and equal remuneration for work of equal

value without distinction of any kind, in particular women
by being guaranteed conditions of work not inferior to
those enjoyed by men, with equal pay for equal work; and
(ii) A decent living for themselves and their families in
accordance with the provisions of the present Covenant;
b) Safe and healthy working conditions;
c) Equal opportunity for everyone to be promoted in his
employment to an appropriate higher level, subject to no
considerations other than those of seniority and
 3. The State Parties to the Present Covenant undertake to
ensure:
a)The right of everyone to form trade unions and join the
trade union of his choice subject only to the rules of the
organization concerned, for the promotion and protection
of his economic and social interests. No restriction may
be placed on the exercise of this right other than those
prescribed by law and which are necessary in a
democratic society in the interest of national security or
public order or for the protection of the rights and
freedom of others;
b)The right of Trade Unions to establish national
federations or confederations and the right of the latter
to form or join international trade unions organizations;
c)The right of Trade Unions of function freely subject to no
limitations other than those prescribed by law and which
are necessary in a democratic society in the interests of
 MORALITY AND PERSONEL
MANAGEMENT
 MORALITY is founded on justice. Hence, any attempt at
personnel administration must be guided by what is moral. The
nuances of human relations are so broad for law to cover all
aspects. Often, it is the spirit of the law rather than the cold
technicalities of law at which should apply. Truly, as the Bible
points out, the law is made for man and not man for the law.
 MORALITY should inspire all employee and the employer
relationships. All business enterprises, it must be observed, are
fundamentally– people. The golden rule of action therefore of not
doing to another what one does not want to be done to him
applies with grater urgency.
 Justice promotes not only equity but goodwill and harmony. If all
parties accept their respective responsibilities and duties with
open kindness and generosity, there will be industrial peace.
 BASIC DUTIES OF WORKERS
 CONSCIENCE dictates the duties of a worker. It is
conscience because it is impossible for anyone not
to have an inkling of these duties, namely:
1.Work honestly and comply with all
agreements;
2.Never injure capital, nor steal from the
employer,
3.Never outrage the person of the employer,
4.Never employ deceit nor violence in
presenting a cause;
 BASIC DUTIES OF

EMPLOYERS
Employers have the sacred task of caring for their workers. Theirs is the
golden opportunity to become the ethical “man for others”. They must be
fair minded and generous in their dispositions. The following are their basic
duties towards their workers:
1. Respect the human dignity of the workers;
2. Appreciate their work;
3. Never treat them as slaves for making money;
4. Never treat them task beyond their strength, do not employ
them in work not suited to their age or sex;
5. Give them commensurate wages;
6. Provide for their health and social recreation;
7. Provide them time for the practice of their religion;
8. Instruct them on how to use their money wisely;
9. Instruct them to love their family;
10.Provide them with the opportunities for promotion.