Some workers are more alarmed by unemployment, others feel more threatened by inflation but few enough will take “bread, peace and work” for granted today. Thus even the formally employed and unionized feel precarious while the underground economy has remained stubbornly high in the last decade. For the vast majority of the working-class the immediate drama is the shattered purchasing-power of their wages rather than not earning any but in no way can job stability be taken for granted. Beyond today a month of strikes and protests looms with the final fortnight in the run-up to the choice of a new CGT leadership to head organized labour sure to intensify militant grandstanding. Strictly speaking, the pontiff is incorrect because unemployment is not strikingly high (indeed nowhere near the peaks of 15-20 years ago) but the papal concern is amply justified for reasons beyond a percentage yet to reach double digits.

Source: Bueno Aires Herald August 06, 2016 23:03 UTC