Industrial Relations - A Christian Viewpoint

by P.L. Hickling, Southport, U.K. | Category: Relationships | Apr 1983

Introduction

The framework of society today is very different from that portrayed in the New Testament. In those days, slavery was widespread, so that many men were simply chattels of their masters, counted by them as no more than any other possession. Some masters, no doubt, would develop close relationships with their trusted servants, others would treat them well to avoid depreciation in their value, and others would abuse and oppress them, knowing that they had no redress. Those who were not slaves were either self-employed, working as craftsmen to supply the needs of others (as, for instance, the apostle Paul), or were responsible to a single master. In most cases the relationship was much more direct than it is today, when most people are employed by companies or public authorities. In the case of companies, the ultimate masters are the shareholders, who may turn out to be the hundreds of thousands of policyholders of an insurance company, while almost every member of the public is indirectly the employer of those in the public sector. In the place of the master controlling his servants, there is a hierarchy of managers, themselves employees, who use the powers of a master. It is not possible for most people to fix their wages or conditions of service by direct personal negotiation with their employer; if negotiation is possible at all it will be carried out with another employee, and often the fact that large numbers of other people are in the same position precludes individual negotiation completely. Nevertheless, the general scriptural principles which govern the relationships between master and servant can be applied to those between manager and managed, and many of the specific statements are just as valid as when they were written.

Employers

The statement of Col. 4:1, addressed to masters, embodies a general principle: "Masters, render unto your servants that which is just and equal; knowing that ye also have a Master in heaven." This, together with the earlier verses in Col. 3, addressed to servants, embraces the principle often stated as "A fair day's work for a fair day's pay." God has always condemned those who "oppress the hireling in his wages" (Mal. 3:5). The application of the principle can be difficult-what is a fair day's pay? Those who run small businesses will know that these often cannot afford to pay the same rates as large firms or the State; are they doing wrong to

employ people at all? The answer for the Christian businessman would seem to be that he should not seek to make profits which are large in relation to his turnover by offering low wages to people who are desperate for work. Until recently, in modern times the balance has been in the other direction, and it seems fair to suggest that the opposite should also be true: employees should not seek to gain excessive wages for themselves by monopolizing the supply of labour.

The obligation of employers and managers, to be "just and equal" does not only apply to wages, but also to the way in which employees are treated in general. The Christian employer should be conscious that his employees are equal with himself before God, and not mere pieces of human machinery. He has "a Master in heaven", and his responsibilities are a trust from God Himself. He has to combine the use of authority, without which a business would be chaotic, with trust in his workforce. They need to know whether the business is doing well or badly and to feel that their contribution to its progress is valued. Smaller units have the advantage here, because the manager or employer can be known personally to his staff. A Christian employer, by dealing fairly with his employees, is not only doing what is right, but is giving an example of Christian behaviour which is to the glory of God, which is the purpose for which God gave him his duty in the first place. As an incidental, this way of running a business is likely to be the most successful in the long run!

Employees

Most of the statements about "servants" in the New Testament are addressed to slaves (Gk. doulos: a bondservant). but there is never any suggestion that they should rebel against their masters; rather the reverse. If there was any possibility of freedom, it was to be taken up, but if not, the slave was to glorify God in his calling. Scripture says "Let each man abide in that calling wherein he was called. Wast thou called being a bondservant? care not for it: but if thou canst become free, use it rather. For he that was called in the Lord, being a bondservant, is the Lord's freedman: likewise he that was called, being free, is Christ's bondservant" (1 Cor. 7:20-22). Even in slavery, men were to work "as unto the Lord" (Col. 3:23), not simply working when they were watched; such behaviour ensured that no reproach fell on the name of God or the testimony of the churches (1 Tim. 6:1, 2). They were not to indulge in theft (Tit. 2:10), but were in everything to show an example of faithfulness to their masters.

Such things apply even more to the behaviour of free men, who are not forced to work for a particular employer, and who are paid for their work. They have an obligation as Christians to give a fair return for their pay, doing their jobs conscientiously and to the best of their ability. Anything less is a fraud on their employer. But Scripture gives one's daily work a higher status than the simple contract; it is "unto the Lord." Everyone's ordinary employment is an opportunity to serve God, because He is glorified in anything done honestly and properly. To make a difference between "the Lord's work" in teaching or preaching and secular employment is false and dangerous, breeding the Christian who is a different person on Sundays from the rest of the week. The task which it is our duty to do at any time is the Lord's work for us at that time, and this applies in industry as in any other field.

Trade unions

All that has been written so far has dealt with the duties of the individual, because responsibility must ultimately lie with the conscience of each man, but one could hardly think about industrial relations today without considering the position of the trade unions. In view of the scriptural teaching about the individual's behaviour, should a Christian join a union?

In their favour, it might be said that they arose at a time when many employees were treated harshly by their employers, and the only way in which they could protect themselves against unjust treatment, or extract fair wages, was to band together. At~ the present time, the threat of redundancy looms over many, and a union might be able to help there. When large numbers of people are employed in similar jobs, it is not practicable for each man to deal with his employer individually, so there must be some body which negotiates for him-and this body must be paid for. Is it honest to receive the results of its work without contributing to its costs?

On the other hand, the unions are not normally now engaged in the resistance of oppression or the prevention of poverty, and the methods which they use are often not ones to which a Christian could happily subscribe. Are "go-slows," "works to rule" and strikes compatible with the attitudes taught by the Scriptures? Every free man has the right to leave his job and go elsewhere (although today an alternative job may be hard to find), but a strike is quite different; the strikers seek to prevent the employer offering to anyone else the terms which they have rejected. If a Christian is to say that he will join the union, but will not go out on strike, he lays himself open to the charge that he is deserting his colleagues in the heat of battle. A further problem is that the unions, because of their political tendencies, often take up positions on things unconnected with employment and which are incompatible with Christian beliefs.

The writer considers that it is better for the Christian to avoid union membership if he can, perhaps making a donation to a charity, as many unions permit, to show that he is not simply mean. However, some may find that they cannot be employed without membership, in which case they will wish to opt out of any political levy, or may assess the balance of the questions raised above differently. The matter is one for the personal conscience.

Conclusion

Industrial Relations comes down to the behaviour of people, and fair and just treatment of either side by the other, as taught by Scripture, is the root of harmonious relations. However, the Christian today lives in a largely pagan society, where greed, avarice and envy abound, and this may be very evident at work. The word of God to him is "Do all things without murmurings and disputings; that ye may be blameless and harmless, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom ye are seen as lights in the world" (Phil. 2:14,15).

P.L. Hickling, Southport, U.K. | Apr 1983
Relationships