Sydney, Australia, Oct 10, 2007 / 09:03 am
Australian clergy have come together to denounce the country's new labor laws, the Sydney Morning Herald reports.
Roman Catholic Bishop Kevin Manning of Parramatta recalled his 1950’s era job working in an unregulated grocery store in his attack on the Work Choices industrial laws. "This bill is taking us right back to then. I think we have every right [to speak out] because the whole thing is immoral."
He continued: "It's hitting people right where they're most vulnerable, people who are trying to raise families, buy a home, set up a decent standard of living."
The Anglican Archbishop of Sydney, Peter Jensen, expressed concern about the decline of unions: "I can't see that it's good for the nation that working people fail to unite together in guarding their workplace conditions."
Support for labor has intensified the desire for interfaith co-operation. Some prominent clergy of various Australian churches want to make their voices heard by the national government through organizing regular meetings between religious and political leaders. The plan for interfaith meetings could include Jews, Muslims and other religions.