The Duty to work

The Bible begins with the announcement, ‘In the beginning God created…’not sat majestic
in the heavens. He created. He did something. He made something. He fashioned heaven and earth.
The week of creation was a week of work.”28 From the very beginning of the scriptures we are
faced with the inescapable conclusion that God himself is a worker. It is part of his character and
nature. The opening two chapters of Genesis provide a foundation for God’s view of work, culture
and man’s responsibility.
In Genesis 2:15 we read, “The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden
to work it and take care of it.” Man was created by God to work, to cultivate and keep God’s
creation, to prepare and protect it. We were created to be stewards of God’s creation through our
work. God assigned Adam and Eve important work prior to the Fall. Work is a gift from God and
by it we employ useful skills to glorify God and love our neighbors. The Fall did not create work,
but it did make it inevitable that work would sometimes be frustrating or seemingly meaningless.
In today’s generation people work for three basic needs: food, shelter and water. Every
human being needs food for the sustenance of life, some eat three times a day but some people eat
only once a day because of poverty. Water is one of the most important substances on earth. All
plants and animals must have water to survive. If there was no water there would be no life on
earth. And lastly, shelter provides protection against external environment that may harm our life.
It also gives some sense of safety in our well-being because it is our home.
Thus, work aims to promote life. And every person is endowed with bodily and mental
powers so that he may take care of himself and not a burden to others.

Capital and Labor

Capital refers to the capitalist, their capital (financial, material, or other materials of
production). Capitalism is the free-exchange between these forces of production based on the
materials of production in a given age. It may also means, “Human capital” is a term that refers to
the people or the workforce who are available for various jobs. It refers to the knowledge,
competence, and the ability of people to perform labor. The success of a business depends on the
human capital and, as such, all business firms invest in human capital for grooming good laborers.

While Labor refers to workers, their tradable asset labor power, and the amount of work
needed to produce a good or service. In labor, the efficiency and skills differ from one person to
another. Most of the time, the labor force just does the work that has been assigned to them. It can
be said to be the aggregate of all mental and physical effort which is used for the creation of
services and goods. It is an active factor connected with production whereas factors like capital
and other things are only passive.
The Rights of Employees

The Bureau of Working Conditions, a staff department of the Department of Labor and
Employment, compiled a list of Basic Rights that every worker is entitled to. These rights ensure
the safety and health of all workers.
1. EQUAL WORK OPPORTUNITIES
The State shall protect labor, promote full employment, provide equal work opportunity
regardless of gender, race, or creed; and regulate relations between employees and employers.
2. SECURITY OF TENURE
Every employee shall be assured security of tenure. No employee can be dismissed from
work except for a just or authorized cause, and only after due process.
Just cause refers to any wrongdoing committed by an employee; authorized cause refers to
economic circumstances that are not the employee’s fault.
3. WORK DAYS AND WORK HOURS
An employee must be paid their wages for all hours worked. If their work hours fall
between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m., they are entitled to night shift pay in addition to their pay for
regular work hours. If they work over eight hours a day, they are entitled to overtime pay.
4. WEEKLY REST DAY
A day-off of 24 consecutive hours after six (6) days of work should be scheduled by the
employer upon consultation with the workers.
5. WAGE AND WAGE-RELATED BENEFITS
Wage is the amount paid to an employee in exchange for to the service that they rendered
to their employer. Wage may be fixed for a given period.
6. PAYMENT OF WAGES
Wages should be paid directly to the employee in cash, legal tender, or through a bank.
Wages shall be given not less than once every two weeks or twice within a month at
intervals not exceeding 16 days.
7. FEMALE EMPLOYEES
Women are prohibited from engaging in night work unless the work is allowed by the
following rules: industrial undertakings from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., commercial/non-industrial
undertakings from 12 m.n. to 6 a.m., or agricultural takings at night provided that she has had
nine consecutive hours of rest.
Welfare facilities, such as separate dressing rooms and lavatories, must be installed at the
workplace.
8. EMPLOYMENT OF CHILDREN
The minimum employment age is 15 years of age. Any worker below 15 years of age
should be directly under the sole responsibility of parents or guardians provided that work does
not interfere with the child’s schooling or development.
The minimum age of employment is 18 years for hazardous jobs, and 15 years for non-
hazardous jobs. Hazardous jobs are
9. SAFE WORKING CONDITIONS
Employers must provide workers with every kind of on-the-job protection against injury,
sickness or death through safe and healthful working conditions.
10. RIGHTS TO SELF-ORGANIZATION AND COLLECTIVE BARGAINING
Every worker has the right to self-organization, i.e., to form or to join any legitimate
workers’ union, free from interference of their employer or the government. All workers may
join a union for the purpose of collective bargaining and is eligible for union membership on
the first day of their employment.
Collective bargaining is a process between two parties, namely the employer and the union,
where the terms and conditions of employment are fixed and agreed upon. In collective
bargaining, the two parties also decide upon a method for resolving grievances. Collective
bargaining results in a contract called a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).