CHRISTIANS APPROACHES TO ISSUES RELATED TO EMPLOYMENT

Learning outcomes: By the end of the lesson you should be able to; –

Define the following terms, wages and industrial action

State the Christian teachings on wages

List the reasons for industrial action

State the results of workers strike/ industrial action

Explain the Christian approaches towards strikes

Wages and industrial action (Strikes)

A wage is payments for work done. Payment is in modern times done according to hours, weeks or days that one works.

Christian teachings on wages

Human beings have the right to work for a decent living (Matt.20:1 – 16) They should be paid for their work.

Workers should be paid wages to the amount and value of their work (1 Timothy 5:18)

Wages should be paid as agreed upon (Mathew 20:13)

Employers should not take advantage of the poverty of the employee (Deuteronomy 24: 14 – 15)

Human beings should not be enslaved to work (Ex.5:22 – 23)

Employers who degrade their workers in wages are condemned (Deut.24:14 – 15, Jer.22:13)

Oppression is condemned (Amos 5:18, 8;4)

Workers wages should never be withheld (James 5:4)

Industrial action

Also commonly called ‘Strike’ this is an effort by workers to stop work in protest by boycott go-slow sit – ins or refuse to work. There has been increase of industrial action in the recent past in most countries of the world.

Reasons for industrial actions

1 Due to increased awareness of workers rights

2 Exposure to global trends through the media

3 Formation of trade unions that fight for the rights of workers

4 Due to poor working conditions

5 Underpaying workers

6 Threatening workers with unjustified dismissals

7 Suspending the workers / interdiction – unjustly

8 A hostile working environment

Results of workers strikes (industrial / action)

Pay cuts

Demotions

Loss of jobs

Employers suffer losses

Inflation

Injuries even death when confronted by police

Victimization of some individuals

Bitterness among the workers and employers

Christian approaches towards strikes

Christians recommend a peaceful co – existence between workers and employers

There should be fairness, justice, love among workers, employees

There should be an open communication channel across the ranks from top to bottom

Employees should not destroy property

Working conditions should be better and improved

Employees to be human when dealing with employees

LESSON EIGHT: CHILD LABOUR

Learning outcomes: By the end of the lesson you should be able to: –

Define the term child labour

State the reasons why children are employed

State the disadvantages of child labour

List down the causes of child labour

Describe the position of the church in dealing with child labour

A child is a person below 18 years. A child does not have an identity card, does not vote (in Kenya). According to International Labour Organization the minimum employment age is 14 years.

Child labour – It is engaging a person below the age of 14 years in wage / paid employment.

Reasons why children are employed

To provide cheap labour

They cannot fight for proper terms

They are easily hired and fired

Disadvantages of child labour

Children are not yet mentally and physically prepared to do adult jobs. This leads to

Exploitation of children

Children paid less, taken advantage of

It inhibits the growth of a child and denies them a chance to enjoy their childhood

It deprives them of their right to basic education

It exposes children to hazards (dangers) from machines, chemicals

Heavy workload deprives children of social educational, moral, psychological, physical rights

Places where children are employed

Plantations – coffee, tea

Domestic services – homes

Tourism sector

Industries

Children are trafficked and employed as commercial sex workers

Causes of child labour

Reasons why children work

1 Lack of money / poverty

2 Death of parents

3 Dropping out of school due to pregnancy, indiscipline, (truancy), poor academic performance or lack of school fees

4 Those who never went or taken to school

5 Lack of good role models e.g. coast province Mombasa, Malindi has several of the financially stable people being school dropouts, engaged in drug trafficking, commercial sex etc.

6 Influence of cultural values e.g. circumcision of boys in some communities is done later in life and one is declared an adult e.g. the kikuyu circumcising at 13 years, or 12 years

7 Children being lured by employers

8 Greed for material benefits

9 Being homeless ending up as a street child

Position of church in dealing with child labour

The church condemns it
It has put up homes for poor children (orphanages)
It provides guidance, counseling to both parents and children
Children are blessing from God hence should be loved and cared for
Parents have the responsibilities to protect their children from harm.

LESSON NINE: UNEMPLOYMENT AND SELF –EMPLOYMENT

Learning outcomes: By the end of the lesson you should be able to: –

Define the term unemployment and self employment
State the causes of unemployment
Describe the response of Christians to issues of unemployment

4. List the problems faced by self employed people

Unemployment

When people are capable and willing to work but are unable to find a viable income or occupation it is referred to as unemployment.

Causes of unemployment

1 Preference for prestigious white collar jobs (Office jobs, non – manual jobs)

2 Corruption – tribalism, nepotism, bribery denying jobs to the qualified in preference for the unqualified

3 Unequal distribution of wealth – some regions are more resourceful than others. Industries, good infrastructure concentrated in some areas.

4 Inadequate resources for self – employment (lack of capital, skills) 5 Limited job opportunities – probably due to high population growth

6 Few international investors in Kenya, probably due to high crime rate, insecurity

Identify ways of creating job opportunities

Response of Christians to issues of unemployment

They encourage self – employment in cases of unemployment

They have set up vocational training, polytechnics to train people towards jobs that are for self – employment

Christians condemn idleness

Self-employment

Self-employment is an economic activity initiated, controlled by an individual. It is an occupation in which a person initiates a personal enterprise and manages it with the help of others.

Examples

Small businesses enterprises, Jua kali sector, music industry, entertainment (e.g. comedians), community work, agriculture etc

Problems / challenges

Some lack sufficient capital to start a business and keep it running

Lack of necessary skills to run the business

High taxation leading to some business closing down

Small scale traders face undue competition from larger firms

Revision questions

What is work?

List any six reasons why people work

Explain T.As attitude towards work

List some of the factors that have changed the attitude towards work in the modern society

What are the rights of employers?

State the duties of employees

Why has child labour become common in Kenya?

What are the causes of unemployment in Kenya?

What can the government do to reduce unemployment in Kenya?

Revision questions

1. 1995 Q 40

Give five reasons why Christians should develop positive attitude to work.

2. 1995 Q 7

State ways in which the employer should show respect for the human dignity of

Employees.

3. 1997 Q 16

State five factors which hindered expansion of the Christian missionary work in Kenya in the nineteenth Century. (5marks)

4. 1999 Q 4a, c

(a) With Reference to the life and ministry of Jesus Identify activities which show that he is

a worker

(6 marks)

5. 2000 Q 18

State five ways in which the church can promote self employment in modern society (5marks)

6. 2000 Q 4(pp 2)

a) Give reasons why Christians condemn idleness (10marks)

b) Explain factors that have led to unemployment in Kenya today. (8marks)

c) Outline steps the church in Kenya has taken to solve the problem of employment.

7. 2001 Q 6 (pp 2)

a) Describe the methods used by the early missionaries to improve the living

standards of the Africans in Kenya. (7 marks)

Give reasons why Christians in Kenya should work in unity (10marks)

Explain ways through which a Christian can serve God.

8. 2004 Q 17

Give five factors that a Christian employer should consider when decision on a salary for an employee. (5marks)

9. 2005 Q 19

Write down five consequences of denying employees rest. (5marks)

10. 2005 Q 2c( pp 2)

c) How should a Christian respond when offered a job in a hardship area? (6marks)

11. 2008 Q 5 ( pp 2)

a) Explain the factors that contribute to unemployment in Kenya today (8 marks)

b) Give eight causes of conflict between the employer and employees in Kenya.

(8 marks)

c) Discuss the role of a Christian during a strike. (4 marks)

12. 2009 Q 5c

(c)Write down seven problems that Christian leaders in Kenya face in their

work today. (7marks)

13. 2009 Q 5 (pp 2)

c) Identify six ways in which the church is helping to reduce the rate of unemployment in Kenya today. (6 marks)

14. 2012 Q3c P1

Answers

1995 Q40

Work was ordained by God
God worked for six days during creation and continues to work
Work makes human beings complete/by working an individual realizes self fulfilment/self realization / it is natural to work
One has to work in order to provide for his/her family needs/to be self reliant
Through work human beings can be useful to others /contribute to the community /share resources with others/contribute to the development of the community
Work keeps the body, mind and spirit healthy and strong
By working human beings obey Gods command ‘to subdue and conquer the’ they are co-workers with God.
By working Christians follow the examples set for them by Jesus who was himself a worker when he lived on earth
Work has a social dimension of bringing people together
The bible condemns laziness/idleness

1997 Q 16

Lack of trained personnel such as ministries, catechists, evangelistic and
- teachers to do missionary work
Lack of resources ( money), to expand the work and put up facilities
- For missionary work
Poor infrastructure e.g. roads and others means of communication.
- Missionaries could only stay in one station and traveling from one place to
- Another was difficult .
Failure by missionaries to use appropriate methods and approaches to win the Africans to Christianity.
Negative attitudes and lack of interest by Africans to Christianity
Language problems, missionaries would not communicate effectively with the local people and vice versa. Missionaries spent valuable time learning local languages which they could otherwise put into missionary work.
Cultural resistance from the local people. Some people felt that becoming Christians would alienate them from their communities
Environmental and geographical factors hostile climate, difficult terrains, droughts.
Attacks by tropical diseases, e.g. Malaria, black water diseases
Fear of wild animals
Fear of hostile tribes, e.g. Maasai, Gallo
Competition from other religious e.g. Islam and African traditional religious
Rivalry among Mission societies/ denominations/ religion groups
Attitudes of some missionaries towards Africans- considered Africans primitive/ savage / untutored/ unable to comprehend Christian abstract doctrines
German missionaries were not accepted in British colonies
Contradiction in the Christian message / some condemned use of alcohol while others tolerated it some condemned polygamy while others tolerated it, circumcision of women.

1999 Q 4a, c

Preaching /teaching in synagogues/all over the country/ministering
Healing the sick/healing the blind man/any other miracles of healing
Raising the dead of life-The raising of Jairus daughter (any other miracles of raising).
Praying /prayed to God the father
Feeding in the people e.g. He fed the five thousands/wedding in Cana.
Being a carpenter/he assisted his father
Identify with workers by drawing examples of parables/allegories from the world of work-parable of the sower /any other relevant example
Washing the disciples feet during the last supper
Calming the storm (any other nature miracles e.g walking on water/cursing the fig tree.
Fishing /Jesus wet fishing with his disciples (John 21:5-6)
Judging cases-the woman caught in adultery (John 8) forgiving sins of paralytic
Training instructor-He trained the disciples on how to carry out their work/the mission of the seventy two (72)
Leadership-appointment/commissioning of the disciples/apostles looking for disciples

7 x 2=14marks.

Ability- academic/physical/ a person should have the knowledge skills/capability and strength to perform the tasks involved.
Inclination attitude-should have a positive attitude towards the career
Call- One should have the desire to serve god/community through the task/glory to God.
Talent-One should consider their inborn/natural abilities
Enjoyable-convenience-One has to choose a profession that one would to serve is not boring.
Remuneration-It should meet ones basic needs in life/job opportunity relevant job
A career that would help one to promote virtues in society.
The individuals should be able to observe the professional code/honesty/punctuality etc.
The career should provide opportunities for one to develop to maturity provide job security. 6 x 1=6Marks

2000 Q 18

Open more technical institute for masons, carpenters, electricians
Provide guidance and counseling for positive attitude towards work/dignity of work
Enhancing a sense of responsibility in work.
Giving them assistance in obtaining the equipment to staff small scale enterprises (e.g. sewing machines, tool boxes)
Help them final market for the finished products
Organise in-service courses for the self employed to improve the quality of the their products
Organise communal self help projects
Help them in obtaining premises for their business 5×1=5marks

2000 Q 4 (PP2)

God ordained work/human beings were given the responsibility of looking after God’s creation.
Jesus condemned idleness in his ministry in the parable of the talents
Idleness may lead to antisocial activities e.g. stealing, drinking, irresponsible sexual behaviour
Idleness leads to poverty/inability to meet one’s basic needs
Jesus worked and so endorsed dignity of work.
Idleness is a failure to glorify God.
Idleness dehumanizes individuals.
Christians should emulate Jesus’ example of hard work
Idleness is a health hazard e.g. obesity, heart attack.
Idleness is a rebellion against God’s intention for human beings.
Idleness retards the development of God giving talents.

The growth rate of Kenya’s economy is lower than the population growth
Inadequate land for those who want to self employed in agriculture sector
Inadequate funds to start economic ventures
Adoption of lifestyles that do not promote development e.g. drug addiction, laziness.
The great part of Kenya is low potential
Wrong attitude instilled in the youth by the society/the youth think they should only do the white collar jobs.
Poor job distribution where some people hold more than one job.
Policies that allow foreigners to take up jobs which would have been performed by Kenyans.
Low investment ability due to debt crisis and conditions set by donor countries.
Application of redundancy practices by both the government and the private sector i.e (retrenchment)
Liberalization of market which has led to the influx of cheap goods thus leading to closure of some industries.
Corruption/nepotism/tribalism.

Employ people as pastors/evangelists/catechist
Has set up youth polytechnics to provide vocational training/skills required for employment.
Sponsors people through scholarships and bursaries to enable them acquire the necessary skills for employment
Church ran training colleges/universities where people are prepared for different careers
Encourage positive attitudes towards all types of jobs/guidance and counseling
Establishment of institutions which provide employment opportunities/e.g schools/hospitals
Provides funds to start small scale income generating industries and projects
Sustain self-help groups by helping them to make products and market them thus creating job opportunities. (7 marks)

2001 Q 6(PP2)

Providing them with education/training
Providing them with jobs/employment
Inviting them to join the church and serve as priests, catechists, sisters etc
Preaching against/discouraging some traditional practices
Providing them with medical facilities/care
Introducing new (crop/house/clothes) modern technology/agriculture.
Introducing self-help projects (water)
Introducing new means of transport/communication/infrastructure
Providing homes for the freed slaves/destitute. (7marks)

2001 Q 6 (PP2)

Providing them with education/training
Providing them with jobs/employment
Inviting them to join the church and serve as priests, catechists, sisters etc
Preaching against/discouraging some traditional practices
Providing them with medical facilities/care
Introducing new (crop/house/clothes) modern technology/agriculture.
Introducing self-help projects (water)
Introducing new means of transport/communication/infrastructure
Providing homes for the freed slaves/destitute. (7marks)

In order to promote oneness of Christ
To promote the teachings of Christ
To share the scarce resources/minimize expenses
In order to achieve effective evangelism/ministry
In order to adopt a common attitude to the integration of African culture in worship
To prevent the formation of splinter groups/cults
To reduce the internal wrangling
In order to have a common stand in dealing with issues affecting the society (education/constitutional review/medical care

Preaching/teaching the word of God/dedications (priests/nuns/sister) participation in choir
Be feeding the hungry/relief food
Taking care of the sick/visiting the sick
Praying/ fasting for God’s peace in the world
Contributing to church/charitable organizations
By paying taxes/tithing
Taking care of the environment/working in the church
Providing homes for the needy/adopting orphans
Paying fees for the needy/Providing education
Being just and fair in giving services
Advocating for equitable distribution of resources.

2004 Q 17

Hours of work
Education/ training of employee/ qualification/ skills
Experience of employee/ competence
Value of work
Needs of the employee/ state of the economy of the country/ standard of living
Dangers/ risks of the job to be done/ nature of work/ type of work
The returns/ profits of the work
The ability to pay/ sustainability
The amount of work to be done / volume (5 x 1 = 5 marks)

2005 Q 19

Poor working relationships/ lack of respect
Leads to exhaustion/ fatigue
Can results in poor health/ death
Can result in go-slow
There is mistrust/ need to be supervised so as to work
Can lead to strikes/ riots/ violence
Leads to loss of job/ sacking
Leads to family conflicts/ suspicion/ separation/ divorce
Lack of time for spiritual nourishment/ worship
Leads to low morale/ negative attitude to work

2005 Q 2c (PP2)

Give thanks to God for the job opportunity.
One should pray about it.
Should take up the challenge/accept the offer.
Should carry out the mission of Jesus Christ.
Should work with commitment/dedication
Should adhere to professional ethics
Should keep the contract of service.
Should take care of the family
Should take care of the family.
Should take care of the filmily
Should seek guidance on how to work /live in the hardship area
Seek training in life skills. (6×1 =6marks)

2008 Q 5 (PP2)

High population whereby there are too many people for the available job opportunities.
Lack of money to start individual businesses/unavailability of finances.
Some people lack skills which make them not to be absorbed in the job market.
Rural-urban migration:- many people are congested in towns where job opportunities are limited.
Foreign aid:- dependence on foreign aid causes the donors to give conditions of employment, that is lean service.
Selfishness/greed:- some Kenyans have more than two jobs, while others lack.
Education system:- many Kenyans prefer white collar jobs after school and because of stiff competition for available spaces, many remain unemployed.
Negative attitude towards work:- some Kenyans lack the initiative to do or participate in economic activities/just idle around.
Unequal distribution of wealth: Some regions have more resources that create employment than others.
New technological advances that has led to retrenchment.
Bribery/corruption is a social evil that denies jobs to those qualified in preference to the less qualified.
Insecurity/increase in crime discourages local and international investors. (8 marks)
Lack of respect to the employer by employees.
Employees not given time for leisure/leave.
Poor working conditions/environment.
When the employees do not receive wages/not paid in time.
When employers fail to consider the welfare of employees/allowances.
When employees fail to accomplish tasks within the expected time/poor time management.
When employees are not allowed to join trade unions.
Unequal chances of promotion/discrimination by the employer/lack of promotion.
Poor/low remuneration.
Sexual harassment by the employer.
Differences in religious affiliation between employer and employees.
Racial/tribal/ethnic differences may bring conflict.
Misuse/destruction of property by the employee.
Divulging of secrets of the employer/organization. (8×1=8 marks)

Not to take part in the strike.
Encourage other people to find better means of solving the problem.
To inform the authority of any grievances if they are not aware/mediate.
To pray for a solution to the problem/seek God’s guidance for a solution to the problem.
Should not take part in a violent demonstration/encourage peaceful demonstration.
To report the matter to the nearest police station. (4×1=4 marks)

2009 Q 5c

Opposition from political leaders/society. …
Lack of cooperation from the members of the church/lack of unity among Christians,
False prophets/cultic affiliation //hypocrisy/ black magic/witchcraft,
Misinterpretation of the scriptures.
Drug abuse among the-members.
Lack of adequate time for pastoral care.
Poor infrastructure that make it impossible to” reach some areas.
Insecurity in. some parts of the country,
Lack of resources to enable them spread the good news/poverty.
Lacks of professional training to enable them do their work effectively.
Permissiveness /moral decadence, which has become the order of the day.
‘Negative influence from the mass media/pornography.

(7xl=7marks)

2009 Q 5 (PP2)

The church encourages people to start income generating activities
The church provides loans to the unemployed to start small scale business
The church create job opportunities through establishing church projects.
It teaches the youth about the dignity of manual work/encourages the youth to participate in agriculture/technical fields.
It organizes seminars for the youth/unemployment on how to utilize their potentials.
It condemns corrupt practices which interfere with the recruitment/economic growth.
It encourages its members to pay taxes promptly so that the government can have the resources to employ/pay the workers.
It trains/sponsors the youth on vocational skills that are necessary for employment/self employment.
The church tries to be fair when recruiting people for various jobs.

(6 marks)

2012 Q3c P1

They receive threats/opposition from the opponents.
Inadequate material/financial resources
There is lack of cooperation from the church members
There is rivalry among the leaders/themselves.
They may not be good role models/hypocrisy.
They may suffer from long separation from their families.
There is misinterpretation of the Biblical theology from different sources.
Greed for material things/property.
They may be posted to a hostile working environment.
There is political interference in their work.
They may lack adequate skills for carrying out their work.
Permissiveness from moral decadence
Rejection

(6×1=6 marks)

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