World Church: First-ever Statement on Employer-Employee Relationship Voted
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For the first time in the history of the Seventh-day Adventist Church a statement of guidelines for employer and employee relationships was voted for the world church. |
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Lowell C. Cooper, Adventist Church vice president.
Jemuel M. Toledanes, president of the Adventist Church in the central Philippines.
Mack Tennyson, a lay member of the church's executive committee.
For the first time in the history of the Seventh-day Adventist Church a statement of guidelines for employer and employee relationships was voted for the world church. The document was presented Oct. 14 during Annual Council, a meeting of delegates from each of the church's 13 world regions, and unanimously agreed upon by the attendees of the church's executive committee.
"We are sharing with you the document that has been crafted with very, very broad parameters that addresses issues in relationships between employers and employees," Jan Paulsen, president of the world church, told attendees. "It addresses both a good set of ethics in that connection and good employer-employee relationships. This comes to us as a recommendation. It is a guideline."
Previous actions by church leadership have generally been in response to specific issues raised in North America. The statement voted at the annual business meeting is intended to address global issues.
"This statement is not addressing specifically the issue of trade unions, but [it is] allowing that question to be placed in the larger context of employer and employee relationships," said Lowell Cooper, a general vice president of the world church. "In thinking how the world church might be served in looking at these matters, we felt that perhaps we need a foundational statement of biblical principles and values within which there are several employer-employee relationship issues that can be approached."
While the Adventist Church does not condone joining labor unions, it cannot set a global standard.
"Seventh-day Adventist church members, entities, and institutions are located in nearly every political and legal system in the world," the document reads. "From time to time members and church administrators seek guidance on how Christians should respond to requests or demands put upon them by employers, labor organizations, and governments. In view of the wide variety of political, legal and cultural situations it is impossible to offer specific recommendations that apply equally in every location. Biblical principles and spiritual values, however, provide a common foundation."
The statement then identifies nine key "principles and values" that Adventists should consider when addressing the issue of employee-employer relationships.
For example, it states, "The workplace environment should be characterized by an atmosphere of mutual service and mutual respect. Adversarial relationships between employer and employees, born of suspicion, self-interest and rivalry, deny dignity to persons and ignore the larger interests and needs of society." That paragraph includes a citation of James 5:1-6 as context.
The document also states that "The workplace should not dehumanize people. Employees should have access to a process of consultation and genuine discussion in matters affecting their labor and the conduct of the business or industry that employs their talents and skills."
The guidelines further state that "Seventh-day Adventist employers should support and demonstrate liberty of conscience, fair wages and working conditions, equality of opportunity, justice, and fairness for all." True to the Adventist heritage and counsel of Ellen G. White, a pioneer-founder of the church, the guidelines emphasize that "In order to fulfill its divine mission the Seventh-day Adventist Church refrains from alignment with or endorsement of political organizations. Church members are urged to preserve and protect their own liberty and independence from alliances that may compromise Christian values and witness."
"It's a well worded document," Harald Wollan, secretary for the church in the Trans-European region, told the delegation. "I'm happy that it's not a policy, but advice, because the balance of the document indicates understanding of different situations that exist in various countries...We need to understand that there are countries where we cannot tell members not to join a labor union because that would mean they break the law of the country."
Wollan said that the document should be considered by each local church region, but that each region needs to deal with the issue of labor unions as is advisable in their particular situation and according to the laws of their country. With the international diversity of legal, political or cultural realities and practices, the guidelines recognize that "divisions of the General Conference [Adventist Church world headquarters] may approve more specific working policies, reflecting the spiritual principles" stated in the document.
John Graz, director of public affairs and religious liberty for the world church, reminded delegates that trade unions can sometimes help. "I don't mean to join them," he said, "but at least we dialogue with them and be sure they know why we have such a position."
The statement, entitled "Seventh-day Adventist Guidelines for Employer and Employee Relationships," will be available online at http://www.adventist.org.
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