Ananthakrishnan G/TNN

Thiruvanthapuram, May 4: After decades of run-ins with Communists in Kerala, the Catholic Church on Sunday hit where it hurts the comrades the most. A pastoral letter issued by Kerala Catholic Bishops Council calls for stepping up the church's intervention in labour unions.

The May Day message from Mar Jos Porunnedam, chairman of KCBC Labour Commission, referred to the economic gloom brought in by the global recession and called for all-out efforts by the Church's labour arm, the Kerala Labour Movement (KLM) to micro-manage the working class.

The letter notes that recession started in the rich countries of the West due to the selfishness of a select few who ran after money and goods. Besides, there were also issues like the withdrawal of the government from the concept of welfare state, growth of market culture, materialistic influence, falling standards of trade unions that were facing the working class, it said and added that the KLM had been able to give shape to comprehensive programmes on these subjects.

All attempts should be made to empower the workers, the message exhorted and called for establishing KLM units in every parish. Instead of starting a new outfit, it was better to use the existing system to achieve the results, the letter added.

"Self-help groups are an effective way of empowering the workers. After this, labour forums should be set up proletarian leadership need to be given shape in every parish. Coordination of workers of existing self-help groups, credit units, etc should be done through the workers forums. All workers should be organized,'' the plan of action goes on.

Noting that all forms of work had its dignity, it sought to remind that no progress was possible if the working class was only willing to do white collar jobs. Similarly, it was also not proper to hold strikes bandhs for every issue and thereby hamper productivity, the letter added.

Predictably, the "May Day message drew sharp reactions from the Left. "We suspect a hidden motive. The attempt it seems is to wean away workers from any potential fight against the capitalist system,'' said M M Lawrence, CITU state general secretary.

"If the attempt is to galvanise the workers so that they join hands with the mainstream trade unions in the fight against exploitation, then it is welcome. But if it is to organize them on communal lines, it will do irreparable damage. The Catholic Church has made attempts in the past too to woo the working class. But they ended up unsuccessful.''