When I wrote about 'Doing Theology in the Contemporary World' a couple of weeks ago, I discussed some of the theological approaches of Industrial Mission, in which I have been involved for many years, and the more recent differing approaches of Christian Realism and Radical Orthodoxy.
As well as the articles which I referred to in Crucible, some of the protagonists in these two camps have been exchanging views on the Political Theology blog. I added a comment in response to these differing views about the role of Christianity and how the Church should be engaged in making a difference in society. Is the church an ideal model that has the answer and is radically critical of both state and market, or does it attempt to work with the state and others to bring about a closer approximation of what we believe to be God's values in bringing about human flourishing? My comment was based on the work of the church in the parish where I am an associate minister in attempting to create a new missional community in an area where traditional church was in trouble and some new way of engaging with the issues of the area is necessary.
See: www.politicaltheology.com/blog and go to A case of ecclesial over-optimism? A response to Milbank’s return to Christendom’s social vision
Wednesday, 29 February 2012
Thursday, 16 February 2012
Redundancy - Some Reflections
Over the years I have been a workplace chaplain I have seen both Kay's (later Shop Direct) warehouses in Worcester, where I was a chaplain, close with the loss of hundreds of jobs and, again as a chaplain, seen significant numbers of people made redundant in various local authorities through cost cutting, restructuring and reorganisation, and the creation of shared services departments, as well as talking from time to time with individuals in churches and elsewhere who have been similarly affected.
I've also been made redundant and redeployed by my present employer (the church) so I have some personal experience of what it feels like! I don't intend here to offer an opinion on whether any of these events were necessary or right, nor specifically on how any of them were handled, but rather to try to say something about how it affects the people caught up in it.
Many people have drawn the comparison between redundancy and the well-known stages of loss in bereavement - denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance. I have seen pretty well all of these, but just as in bereavement not everyone experiences all of the stages, or at least all of them equally, and maybe not in the stated order, so it is with redundancy. Situations can be quite different, as can be the way each individual reacts depending on the kind of person they are.
It is one thing to see the complete closure of the entire workplace, as in the decision to move all of Kay's activities from Worcester to the North-west, it is quite another to be, perhaps, the one individual in a department to be singled out for redundancy. The way organisations handle the process can also make a difference to whether it is felt to be difficult but fair, or acceptable in the end, or for people to feel unfairly and badly treated.
There are certain legal procedures that should be followed, which I don't intend discuss here but which can be found in this link. The Faith at Work in Worcestershire website has a page on redundancy and some reflections by colleagues about being made redundant that might be helpful.
When an entire workplace is to close it is more likely that everyone will feel in it together, though even within that some will more seriously affected than others. Some will be happy to take a package, perhaps voluntarily, and either retire or wind down a little, or feel their prospects of finding another job are pretty good. I remember the highly qualified engineers at Longbridge being cherry picked at the jobs fair by the likes of Bentley and Railtrack and so on. When the jobs market is buoyant, as it was a few years ago when Kay's closed, it didn't feel too scary, and there too many of the national retailers and the bus company and others were coming on site to offer interviews.
Some firms also provide 'out-placement' services - help with writing CVs, improving interview technique and so on. In other cases, when cost-saving is the name of the game, you might get a bit of help from the HR department. Another factor is also how generous the package is. When Kay's closed the union (it was a heavily organised company) negotiated a pretty good pay-off, which gave those who had been there a good while quite a reasonable sum to tide them over. Some public sector packages, particularly to smooth the way for re-organisations have included generous early retirement pay-offs, but in other cases no more than the statutory minimum has been on offer.
I have spoken to some people who have seen redundancy as an opportunity to make a fresh start, perhaps to do something worthwhile. Many at Kay's had ideas of working in caring type jobs rather than sorting returned goods. Others have said they needed a kick up the backside having got into a rut from being there too long. For other people, their job is their life and identity, or the thing that got them out of the house and mixing with others, and have been distraught when it is threatened. This can happen to people in quite ordinary jobs as well as those who have put years of commitment into building a career and climbing the ladder. Identity, self-respect and -esteem, position in society and in the workplace pecking order and much more are bound up in a job that is threatened. And it doesn't matter how much people say it's the job that's being made redundant not you, there's still the feeling that all that I've done and put into this role can't be valued or they wouldn't be cutting my job (insert expletive about what one thinks of the management!).
It can seem as if the safeguards in legislation to provide protection and equal opportunities can just increase the uncertainty and pressure. There may be rumours that something is afoot and worry (surely not me) or it can come as a bolt from the blue and be a real shock. Whatever happens, there will have to be a statutory consultation period whilst the proposals can be questioned and alternatives put forward (all the time you are 'at risk'). This can be difficult if nothing seems to be happening or it is hidden. I've heard it said more than once that it is a genuine consultation so nothing can be said until it is ended. I can't help feeling, though, that more communication would help. In fact if I had one thing to say to managements it would be to keep communicating and show the people you do still really value them as people and for their contribution to your organisation.
When eventually a new or revised structure is announced there is then the question of who has a place in it and having to apply for the new posts. Unless there can be a direct assimilation this usually starts from the top and gradualy works its way through the layersof posts. Often there seem to be delays (perhaps an outsider is brought into be the new boss and has to work their notice elsewhere, or there's a failure to appoint at some stage and the post has to be readvertised), but it never seems to be anybody's fault. And then there can be the agony of applying for one's own job. I imagine most people are successful, though it is more tricky when the jobs have been changed to take in new ideas that someone has decided will make your department run better (and invariably be more efficient and 'customer focussed'). Some people suffer the ignominy of not being successful , and I have seen people in tears when this has happened.
Eventually, the time comes when people start leaving. It doesn't perhaps feel too bad at first if you are in a group needed to keep production going or have more notice to work. But as the day approaches a feeling of foreboding grows and the mood changes. If everybody is going, or a whole department is moving somewhere else it can be the opportunity for a party, or a wake, to mark the transition - a rite of passage in some way. If it is just individuals, there can be ghastly leaving presentations, when everyone feels horribly uncomfortable. Some people prefer to slip away, some never make it this far and go off with stress, never to return.
For those left behind in the new slimmed-down, more efficient, refocused department, embracing new ways of working, it can be a new opportunity, but there can also be survivor syndrome - a feeling of guilt about why I'm still here when my best mate didn't get the job. I know of some dreadful stories of people who were good friends who both had to compete for the same job that they both desperately needed and the destruction of personal and working relationships that causes.
Sometimes good can come of these experiences. People go on to do something they wouldn't otherwise have done, or they are able to get off the treadmill and find a better quality of life. But the statistics say that very many people who are made redundant lose out financially and take a long time, or never manage to recover their previous standard of living. In the present downturn many will be on the dole for a long time, though one should remember that those who are unemployed are not a static population and many will eventually find work, but some will not. Those who don't will usually be disadvantaged in some way, but this is something that could easily befall most of us and we may then have to call on reserves of resilience we may never have tapped before.*
For those still in work, I have observed that managements often believe that all is well much sooner than may in fact be the case. Either they believe their own propaganda and the briefings they may give the workforce or else people are reluctant to tell them how they really feel. One thing is for sure, it will take a considerable time to rebuild the trust that has been shattered by an event such as redundancies. People are not dispensable resources to be hired and fired at will. Most managers know this but they often still under-estimate the damage that is done and it is doubly important to live, not just speak in fine words, the vision and communicate with sincerity. In time there can be healing and recommitment, but it should never be taken for granted.
*In addition to the reflections I mentioned above, some time ago I wrote something about suffering, loss and redefining faith in the light of this, following the illness and death of my older son. It occurs to me that some of this may be relevant, but it will take a little time for me to consider this and adapt the parts I feel useful to appear here rather than as something that has only been shared with a relatively small number of people. It might be helpful, though, to say that it is based on W H Vanstone's 'The Stature of Waiting', which is about Christ's passion, and 'Face to Face' by Frances Young, the story of the evolution of her faith and theological thinking as she lives with all that it means to have a severely disabled son.
As we approach Lent and then Holy Week, there will be much as we track Christ's journey towards the Cross that we might reflect on in trying to understand suffering and loss, whether through redundancy or for any other reason. It is also right to remember that resurrection follows. But we must never be trite about this. New life does not occur without the searing reality that precedes it, and we must not under-estimate that. In the good times we have had in the UK in the past 60 years we Christians, and especially we who have been comfortable, can move to resurrection too easily.
I've also been made redundant and redeployed by my present employer (the church) so I have some personal experience of what it feels like! I don't intend here to offer an opinion on whether any of these events were necessary or right, nor specifically on how any of them were handled, but rather to try to say something about how it affects the people caught up in it.
Many people have drawn the comparison between redundancy and the well-known stages of loss in bereavement - denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance. I have seen pretty well all of these, but just as in bereavement not everyone experiences all of the stages, or at least all of them equally, and maybe not in the stated order, so it is with redundancy. Situations can be quite different, as can be the way each individual reacts depending on the kind of person they are.
It is one thing to see the complete closure of the entire workplace, as in the decision to move all of Kay's activities from Worcester to the North-west, it is quite another to be, perhaps, the one individual in a department to be singled out for redundancy. The way organisations handle the process can also make a difference to whether it is felt to be difficult but fair, or acceptable in the end, or for people to feel unfairly and badly treated.
There are certain legal procedures that should be followed, which I don't intend discuss here but which can be found in this link. The Faith at Work in Worcestershire website has a page on redundancy and some reflections by colleagues about being made redundant that might be helpful.
When an entire workplace is to close it is more likely that everyone will feel in it together, though even within that some will more seriously affected than others. Some will be happy to take a package, perhaps voluntarily, and either retire or wind down a little, or feel their prospects of finding another job are pretty good. I remember the highly qualified engineers at Longbridge being cherry picked at the jobs fair by the likes of Bentley and Railtrack and so on. When the jobs market is buoyant, as it was a few years ago when Kay's closed, it didn't feel too scary, and there too many of the national retailers and the bus company and others were coming on site to offer interviews.
Some firms also provide 'out-placement' services - help with writing CVs, improving interview technique and so on. In other cases, when cost-saving is the name of the game, you might get a bit of help from the HR department. Another factor is also how generous the package is. When Kay's closed the union (it was a heavily organised company) negotiated a pretty good pay-off, which gave those who had been there a good while quite a reasonable sum to tide them over. Some public sector packages, particularly to smooth the way for re-organisations have included generous early retirement pay-offs, but in other cases no more than the statutory minimum has been on offer.
I have spoken to some people who have seen redundancy as an opportunity to make a fresh start, perhaps to do something worthwhile. Many at Kay's had ideas of working in caring type jobs rather than sorting returned goods. Others have said they needed a kick up the backside having got into a rut from being there too long. For other people, their job is their life and identity, or the thing that got them out of the house and mixing with others, and have been distraught when it is threatened. This can happen to people in quite ordinary jobs as well as those who have put years of commitment into building a career and climbing the ladder. Identity, self-respect and -esteem, position in society and in the workplace pecking order and much more are bound up in a job that is threatened. And it doesn't matter how much people say it's the job that's being made redundant not you, there's still the feeling that all that I've done and put into this role can't be valued or they wouldn't be cutting my job (insert expletive about what one thinks of the management!).
It can seem as if the safeguards in legislation to provide protection and equal opportunities can just increase the uncertainty and pressure. There may be rumours that something is afoot and worry (surely not me) or it can come as a bolt from the blue and be a real shock. Whatever happens, there will have to be a statutory consultation period whilst the proposals can be questioned and alternatives put forward (all the time you are 'at risk'). This can be difficult if nothing seems to be happening or it is hidden. I've heard it said more than once that it is a genuine consultation so nothing can be said until it is ended. I can't help feeling, though, that more communication would help. In fact if I had one thing to say to managements it would be to keep communicating and show the people you do still really value them as people and for their contribution to your organisation.
When eventually a new or revised structure is announced there is then the question of who has a place in it and having to apply for the new posts. Unless there can be a direct assimilation this usually starts from the top and gradualy works its way through the layersof posts. Often there seem to be delays (perhaps an outsider is brought into be the new boss and has to work their notice elsewhere, or there's a failure to appoint at some stage and the post has to be readvertised), but it never seems to be anybody's fault. And then there can be the agony of applying for one's own job. I imagine most people are successful, though it is more tricky when the jobs have been changed to take in new ideas that someone has decided will make your department run better (and invariably be more efficient and 'customer focussed'). Some people suffer the ignominy of not being successful , and I have seen people in tears when this has happened.
Eventually, the time comes when people start leaving. It doesn't perhaps feel too bad at first if you are in a group needed to keep production going or have more notice to work. But as the day approaches a feeling of foreboding grows and the mood changes. If everybody is going, or a whole department is moving somewhere else it can be the opportunity for a party, or a wake, to mark the transition - a rite of passage in some way. If it is just individuals, there can be ghastly leaving presentations, when everyone feels horribly uncomfortable. Some people prefer to slip away, some never make it this far and go off with stress, never to return.
For those left behind in the new slimmed-down, more efficient, refocused department, embracing new ways of working, it can be a new opportunity, but there can also be survivor syndrome - a feeling of guilt about why I'm still here when my best mate didn't get the job. I know of some dreadful stories of people who were good friends who both had to compete for the same job that they both desperately needed and the destruction of personal and working relationships that causes.
Sometimes good can come of these experiences. People go on to do something they wouldn't otherwise have done, or they are able to get off the treadmill and find a better quality of life. But the statistics say that very many people who are made redundant lose out financially and take a long time, or never manage to recover their previous standard of living. In the present downturn many will be on the dole for a long time, though one should remember that those who are unemployed are not a static population and many will eventually find work, but some will not. Those who don't will usually be disadvantaged in some way, but this is something that could easily befall most of us and we may then have to call on reserves of resilience we may never have tapped before.*
For those still in work, I have observed that managements often believe that all is well much sooner than may in fact be the case. Either they believe their own propaganda and the briefings they may give the workforce or else people are reluctant to tell them how they really feel. One thing is for sure, it will take a considerable time to rebuild the trust that has been shattered by an event such as redundancies. People are not dispensable resources to be hired and fired at will. Most managers know this but they often still under-estimate the damage that is done and it is doubly important to live, not just speak in fine words, the vision and communicate with sincerity. In time there can be healing and recommitment, but it should never be taken for granted.
*In addition to the reflections I mentioned above, some time ago I wrote something about suffering, loss and redefining faith in the light of this, following the illness and death of my older son. It occurs to me that some of this may be relevant, but it will take a little time for me to consider this and adapt the parts I feel useful to appear here rather than as something that has only been shared with a relatively small number of people. It might be helpful, though, to say that it is based on W H Vanstone's 'The Stature of Waiting', which is about Christ's passion, and 'Face to Face' by Frances Young, the story of the evolution of her faith and theological thinking as she lives with all that it means to have a severely disabled son.
As we approach Lent and then Holy Week, there will be much as we track Christ's journey towards the Cross that we might reflect on in trying to understand suffering and loss, whether through redundancy or for any other reason. It is also right to remember that resurrection follows. But we must never be trite about this. New life does not occur without the searing reality that precedes it, and we must not under-estimate that. In the good times we have had in the UK in the past 60 years we Christians, and especially we who have been comfortable, can move to resurrection too easily.
Comments
A colleagues has told me that he has not found it possible to post comments on this site. It appears that you have to register with Blogger in order to do this and it was not possible. On the advice of the person who gave me some technical assistance with setting up I have checked the settings and can't see anything wrong. Some people have been kind enough to send me comments direct to my email address but they have not said this is because they have experienced problems with this site. I'd be grateful to know if others have experienced problems.
The site is currently set up so that I can moderate comments before they are posted - not so I can reduce discussion but so that anything malicious or any spam can be filtered out.
The site is currently set up so that I can moderate comments before they are posted - not so I can reduce discussion but so that anything malicious or any spam can be filtered out.
Unemployment in January 2012
Unemployment (on the claimant count) in Worcestershire was 11,404 (4.1%) in January 2012, an increase of 675 claimants (0.2%) from the previous month, compared with 6.9% for the West Midlands and 5.7% for England and Wales.
Most of my work as a chaplain is with people at work and if people lose their jobs we tend to lose contact with them so that there is less knowledge about what it is like to be unemployed. We have not much experience of job clubs for those who are unemployed, unlike colleagues in Solihull and in Coventry and Warwickshire and which the BCUIM team are working on in the Black Country. This may be because, whilst there are pockets of more serious unemployment in Worcestershire, there is not generally a perception of it being a problem because the overall rate is comparatively low.
The districts with the highest and lowest unemployment rates are Redditch and Worcester (both 5.1%) and Bromsgrove, (3.1%). The male unemployment rate in Worcestershire is 5.0% (up 0.3%), compared to the female rate of 3.0% (up 0.1%). In terms of urban centres, Kidderminster had the highest unemployment rate at 5.7%. The lowest unemployment rate was in Bewdley (2.5%).
The number of vacancies in Worcestershire was 3,614 in January 2012, which is 27% lower than in December 2011.
Unemployment increased in all six districts in the county, with the largest monthly changes being in Redditch (138), Worcester (157) and Wyre Forest (171). There is no indication of a specific reason for these increases, although it is reported that the DHL logistics depot in Droitwich has been closed and the work moved to Somerset with the loss of around 300 jobs. (It has just been announced that the Shop Direct – formerly Kay’s – distribution depot on the same estate in Droitwich is also to close). Either many of the employees live in other areas or have not yet claimed Job Seekers’ Allowance as unemployment in Droitwich is only up by 25 and in Wychavon as a whole by 70. The urban centres with the largest increases are Stourport (307), Worcester (157), Kidderminster (145) and Redditch (127).
Those out of work in the county for more than six months fell fractionally but is still 36% of all those unemployed; the number out of work for more than 12 months rose slightly and is around 16% of all claimants.
Youth unemployment again rose (by nearly 200) in January 2012 with 3,440 people aged 18-24 were claiming JSA benefit compared with 3,245 in December 2011 and up 380 on January last year (3,060). 3,145 people aged 18-24 have been claiming for up to one year, which is 7.2% of the 18-24 population, (unchanged from December 2011) but still marginally higher than the England average.
Although Worcestershire has seen a larger increase in unemployment than for some time, the national rate of increase was slower last month. Unemployment is a ‘lagging indicator’ in that it often begins to respond some months later to changes in the economy shown by other indicators. Although the economic news is somewhat mixed there seems to be a growing view amongst commentators that we may be seeing the bottom of the current dip. News from the Recruitment and Employment Confederation suggests that, whilst there is a short-term drop in hiring intentions, in the longer-term in 2012 some 59% of employers intend to take on permanent staff and there is still demand for temporary staff too.
When I posted a similar summary of the unemployment figures last month I was challenged by a colleague to provide some theological comment. I’m not too sure about there being much theological work on unemployment (though there has been a fair bit about employment) apart, perhaps from the comparison of redundancy to bereavement. I thought what I might do is write a separate post about my experience as a chaplain of accompanying now a considerable number of people through the experience of restructuring and redundancy.
Most of my work as a chaplain is with people at work and if people lose their jobs we tend to lose contact with them so that there is less knowledge about what it is like to be unemployed. We have not much experience of job clubs for those who are unemployed, unlike colleagues in Solihull and in Coventry and Warwickshire and which the BCUIM team are working on in the Black Country. This may be because, whilst there are pockets of more serious unemployment in Worcestershire, there is not generally a perception of it being a problem because the overall rate is comparatively low.
Tuesday, 14 February 2012
Doing Theology in the Contemporary World
I try to blend some thinking about theology and economics, as the title suggests, in what I write in this blog - though I was somewhat alarmed to discover when told it comes up on Google that there is something called Theo economics, which seems to be economics based on a pretty fundamentalist understanding of theology. I wouldn’t claim to follow any particular ’school’ of theology, though I suppose, having been an industrial missioner for practically 23 years, I draw much of my approach from the method that lies behind that.
Whether we go with the ‘Age of Atonement’ as the model for engagement with the present age or need to develop something else (I wondered in early posts in this blog about the OT prophets in the times of exile and wilderness) it seems to me the sunny confidence in sharing in the growing of the Kingdom of God must now be in question. I have experienced some hard times in my own life so as to question whether it can only get better, and it seems to me both shorter term cyclical economic issues and longer term geo-political, let alone ecological and resource issues, should give us pause to think about what is an appropriate theological model with which to interpret the world as we go forward into an uncertain future.
I have been reading ‘Engaging Mission: the lasting value of Industrial Mission for today’ by Peter Cope and Mike West (Grosvenor House Publishing, 2011). Peter was the first chaplain in Worcester in the 1970s and early 80s (in a post from which the one I now hold can be directly traced) in a career that spanned London, Worcester, West Bromwich and Telford. Mike was also pretty much an IM ‘lifer’ working in Herts. and Beds and South Yorkshire. They both belong to the generation of missioners, now retired, who started out at a time when the links back to the roots of IM in the 1940s and 50s were still very clear and when IM was growing in strength and confidence.
Along with much of the church IM is now in a different world, and they wanted in writing the book to preserve the knowledge base before it is lost. The book is, therefore, a history but more than that. Peter and Mike are clear that IM is about more than workplace chaplaincy – a common term now that manufacturing nationally makes up little more than 10% of the economy and visiting is biased more towards local government, retail and other service industries, and the emergency services. But they also want to make the point that in contrast to Malcolm Torry’s ‘Bridgebuilders’, published in 2010, which is a history of chaplaincy, that IM is more than this.
It differentiates between the more pastoral model of the early days of South London, which was based on the vicar visiting people at work in factories in his parish, and Ted Wickham beginning in Sheffield steel mills in 1944 who sought to engage in conversations with a purpose. Initially, these would be in the ‘snap-break’ but there were also other meetings, often in the back room of a pub, to which workers and managers were invited to talk in more depth. I won’t rehearse the whole story, but the point was that it was an attempt to wrestle theologically with issues relevant to people in the workplace.
As IM developed this attempt to connect issues was reflected in some of the networks that were set up both within industries and in some cases internationally. As well as sometimes being advocates where they felt it was necessary to speak out, missioners tried to develop a deeper understanding of the issues they were confronting and the theological principles that might help them as ministers to respond. And, although IM and the Church have at times had a mutually ambivalent relationship, attempts have been made to communicate what has been learned, not least through both lay and ministerial training.
The way of doing theology was about beginning with the experience shared with people at work. Some of this originates, naturally, from being with people and hearing their concerns; some of it is connected to the theological foundations and the wider theological debate that was happening in the formative times of IM. Among the post-war theological thinking that was influential were the writings of Richard Niebuhr, Peter Berger, and also Tillich, Bonhoeffer and others. This was part of the development of inductive theology, starting with the world and seeking signposts that point to ‘another dimension’. There was a warning from Archbishop Michael Ramsey (one of the keynote speakers at the 1971 Industrial Mission Association National Conference) that the inductive model would only be effective if those who practice it had deep within themselves the timeless truths declared by the Church’s teaching. The use of the hermeneutical or pastoral cycle is a response to this where theological and ethical thinking is fed into the reflection, and there are also other developments specific to IM such as the Fraser Grid and on the other hand more deductive-based models such as Peter Cope’s own ‘Flying Machine’.
Another back-drop of the age was the search for ways of speaking of the Kingdom of God to secular people. It may be no coincidence that that the concept of realised eschatology, put forward by the biblical scholar C H Dodd, and similar ideas would have been developed in the same post-war era. But it can be, as Bishop Mike Bourke points out in his introduction to ‘Engaging Mission’, that hope of the Kingdom realised at least partially here on earth can morph into something that is always just beyond our grasp in this life, as the meditation that ends the book reflects. This may be a realistic acceptance of what is possible whilst continuing to work for the goal or it may also be that as the post-war consensus has broken down that in fact another model will take its place. In the current issue of ‘Crucible’ (January – March 2012) Malcolm Brown writes (p. 8) about how in John Atherton’s description an ‘Age of Atonement’ in the later 19th Century, through which the church emphasised its calling to live in contrast to the mores of a rapidly changing culture, gave way in the 20th And then by the late 1980s and 90s a return to another ‘Age of Atonement’ seemed to be underway as trust in the possibility of God’s Kingdom coming on earth receded and the wider social order seemed too flawed to be subject to any simple ecclesial benediction.
What does this have to say about the way in which we do theology? Malcolm Brown and also Peter Sedgwick in the edition of Crucible I have referred to above have produced two very thorough and thoughtful reviews of Christian social or public theology. Sedgwick identifies at least six strands of thought in British public theology but I want to pick out just two because they reflect a debate that I and some friends have been engaging in: that is between Christian Realism and Radical Orthodoxy. Christian Realism is the description my former colleague John Reader uses for the thinking behind the book he wrote with Chris Baker and John Atherton (all of the William Temple Foundation) called ‘Christianity and the New Social Order’ that I discussed in a post on 11 January 2012. It has its foundations in the thought of William Temple (and in the original use of the term, Reinhold Niebuhr), though in Reader’s work also the thinking of many continental philosophers. But the key point in this discussion is ‘realism’ insofar as it starts from how the world is. One can see the connections with the IM thinking I have been laying out above. On the other hand Radical Orthodoxy, two of whose proponents are John Milbank and Graham Ward, is a reinterpretation for the present age of a Christian grand narrative that in conjunction with writers such as Philip Blond of the ResPublica think-tank (of whose trustees Milbank is the Chair) sets out a vision of society based on an earlier mutualism popularised by the Big Society and in Blond’s book ‘Red Tory’.
There is no doubt that Radical Orthodoxy has many influential friends including Rowan Williams (Crucible, p. 29) and this may explain its rising profile. And if we are now more in an ‘Age of Atonement’ one can see why it would have an attraction over and against a secular world that must be resisted and changed. In summarising Ward’s thinking, Sedgwick (Crucible, p.30) speaks of the image-obsessed, destructive power of global capitalism that must be resisted by the only force that can stand up to it, which is the church. ‘The church’, he says, ‘can embody a different desire, which is the participation in the ecclesial, sacramental body of Christ.’
My difficulty with this is that it contains an idealism that I only see in the church at its best, and not very often. Too often I see an attenuated church struggling for its own survival, obsessed with its own affairs. It may be a safe haven with friends who speak the same language sometimes but that is to separate me from the real world where I am impelled to be.
However, when I am in that ‘real world’ I am also conscious of how slender the credibility of the church and faith that I represent has become. Christianity, in the UK and Europe at least, is under pressure, as the latest judgement about prayers before a council meeting seems to suggest (an issue for me as a chaplain to a council chairman), though I am aware that the ‘secularisation’ debate is much more complex than those who throw slogans about may wish. It is, however, a much greater issue for Christianity in the UK in my view than the anxieties of some about the pluralism of religions in our multi-faith society.
Sedgwick concludes his article (Crucible, p.32) by pointing to the enormous gulf between the highly sacramental world view of Graham Ward and those who represent what he calls the William Temple tradition and says the challenge is whether there can be communication between these different traditions rather than a set of self-contained theologies. For myself at the moment I think I settle for something akin to the pastoral cycle, which seems to have wide acceptance, in bringing biblical insights and Christian tradition (and the best of the sacramental life of the church) to bear on the world as I encounter it along with other wisdom I have encountered along the way. Christianity may be the most important thing for me (there are certain precious jewels I want to offer, as a friend experienced in inter-faith dialogue put it) but there are many other insights too that make it not the only means of playing my part in the life of the world.
Whether we go with the ‘Age of Atonement’ as the model for engagement with the present age or need to develop something else (I wondered in early posts in this blog about the OT prophets in the times of exile and wilderness) it seems to me the sunny confidence in sharing in the growing of the Kingdom of God must now be in question. I have experienced some hard times in my own life so as to question whether it can only get better, and it seems to me both shorter term cyclical economic issues and longer term geo-political, let alone ecological and resource issues, should give us pause to think about what is an appropriate theological model with which to interpret the world as we go forward into an uncertain future.
Friday, 3 February 2012
Justice and Fairness
Below is a 'Thought for the Week' I wrote about the issue of executive and banker's pay for the Diocese of Worcester website entitled How Much is Fair? Since I wrote it I see that the Chairman of RBS has said that banker pay has been too high for too long and needs to be corrected. In the same article the Chief Executive of Deutsche has said that there is the danger of a social time bomb arising from wealth and income inequality, though his solution appears to be more philanthropy.
Sir Philip Hampton's views about the need to pay high rewards to bankers to be competitive in that particular job market even if they are high relative to everyone else only begin to recognise the wider issues that I discuss and the Chief Executive of Deutsche shows there is a debate to be had about whether the negative effects of such pay can be overcome by giving enough of it away or if it simply needs to come down. Many shareholders, who may feel that they have had a poor deal compared with the senior staff, might feel the latter but there is a wider issue of what is fair and just in society as a whole.
Sir Philip Hampton's views about the need to pay high rewards to bankers to be competitive in that particular job market even if they are high relative to everyone else only begin to recognise the wider issues that I discuss and the Chief Executive of Deutsche shows there is a debate to be had about whether the negative effects of such pay can be overcome by giving enough of it away or if it simply needs to come down. Many shareholders, who may feel that they have had a poor deal compared with the senior staff, might feel the latter but there is a wider issue of what is fair and just in society as a whole.
"How Much is Fair?
Most of us are feeling pretty squeezed at present. So the issue of executive pay, which has soared away far ahead of the rises that everyone else has had over recent years, is a contentious issue. So much so that our politicians have felt it necessary to put forward ideas for controlling the pay of directors and to put pressure on RBS about the bonus of its chief executive. Whilst this may have a small effect on those in the boardroom, it will have no effect on the many bankers (and others) who receive six figure salaries and more because they are not directors and are not affected by the proposals.
More significantly though, the controls proposed by both government and opposition only attempt to make changes at the margin and possibly connect pay a little more closely with performance. The fundamental question of what is reasonable remuneration, ‘compensation’ if you like, for the work done, the responsibilities borne, the results attained is not really under consideration.
We are told these huge sums of money are needed to attract the highest talent and that bonuses are necessary for motivation. For bonuses to truly motivate there has to be some kind of connection between the performance of the individual in effort or ability (or cleverness in wheeling and dealing), the results achieved and the reward received. Often this is far from clear. A former chief executive of Shell, who was paid many millions, has said that if he had been paid 50% more he would not have performed better and if he had been paid 50% less he would not have performed worse. People are motivated by many other things not just, or even, money. As for paying to attract talent, if firms attempt to pay ahead of the bench-mark, then the bench-mark will continually get higher and the only point of reference is within the group, not the rest of the world.
However, a connection with the rest of the world will eventually matter. Even those setting the agenda for the World Economic Forum in Davos are saying that ‘severe income inequality’ is the biggest global risk. At the heart of this are issues of justice and fairness on the one hand and freedom on the other – two of the themes promoted by the Kingdom People material we are being encouraged to think about by the Diocesan 20:20 Vision Group. Bill Gates has praised the freedom of capitalism that allowed him with a few friends to create Microsoft in a garage – and he now has the freedom to give away much of his unimaginable fortune to good causes as he sees fit.
There is no doubt that the Bible, in both the Old and New Testament, speaks out against slavery and oppression, whether political or economic, but the freedom of any individual or group needs to be held in tension with the obligations and mutuality they share with those around them. Which is where equity, fairness and justice come in. Not simply in terms of what might be seen as a reasonable reward but in what it says about the value of everyone and their contribution to the whole, and also because great wealth can bring disproportionate influence and power. It can also be damaging to the soul (e.g. Mark 10:21-22, Luke 12: 20-21)."
There is a word limit on Thoughts for the Week so this is a little more compressed that might otherwise have been the case. The almost throwaway biblical references at the end raise some important points about our attachment to wealth and the way in which it can distort our priorities both in terms of the things that really matter in life and in giving us a false sense of security. Whilst this is heightened for those with great wealth, it may also be true for many others of us who live in relative comfort. There is a moral and ethical imperative that is more important than a purely financial one.
Friday, 20 January 2012
Unemployment this month
Unemployment went up slightly in Worcestershire in December by 63 on the claimant count to 10,729, or 3.9% an increase of 0.1%. On this basis it compares with 6.6% in the West Midlands and 5.5% in England and Wales, but as always, it is important to compare like with like, a point I will discuss later.
The districts with the highest and lowest unemployment rates are Worcester and Redditch (both 4.8%) and Bromsgrove (2.9%), whilst in terms of urban centres Kidderminster has the highest rate at 5.2%, twice the rate of the lowest (both Bewdley and Wythall at 2.6%). The male/female split is 7,115 (4.7%) men to 3614 (2.9%) women.
The districts with the highest and lowest unemployment rates are Worcester and Redditch (both 4.8%) and Bromsgrove (2.9%), whilst in terms of urban centres Kidderminster has the highest rate at 5.2%, twice the rate of the lowest (both Bewdley and Wythall at 2.6%). The male/female split is 7,115 (4.7%) men to 3614 (2.9%) women.
Whilst the increase of 63 over last month is quite small (most numbers are in low double figures except Wyre Forest with and increase of 79 counteracted by a fall of 33 in Bromsgrove), the increase over the same month a year ago is 493. Most of this is in Worcester (up 246, though with a drop of 2 compared with last month), and Wyre Forest (up 121 on the year).
All these figures come from the Worcestershire Economic Summary and whilst it is true that the numbers compare favourably, as they put it, with other parts of the region and country none the less there will be pockets in the county where the rates are much higher, as we have seen with youth unemployment that I have referred to in previous blogs. One way of comparing is to look at the interactive map for the council wards in Worcestershire. It is also possible by following the menus to go down to Local Super Output Areas. This shows significant differences between some of our urban areas of highest need and other parts of the County. It is also possible to compare across the region and country by constituency on the BBC website. And on the basis of these much wider areas Worcestershire does come out much more favourably compared with, say, Ladywood in Birmingham which has the highest unemployment rate in the country at 12.2%.
As well as the issue of Worcestershire County Council using different census data for population figures to arrive at the per-centage rates as compared with the ONS, so direct comparison is difficult, one must also take care over Job Seeker's Allowance claimants (approx. 1.6 million nationally) and the more widely used figures (2.68 million nationally) that are based on a survey of those looking for work. These latter figures are deemed a more reliable indicator of those out of work because there are many people who are not included in the JSA figures either because eligibility has been tightened over the years, perhaps because their personal or household income or finances rule them out, or because they are claiming another out of work benefit or, probably in a small number of cases, they choose not to claim. The difference between the two measures of unemployment has widened considerably over the last 20 years as the graph in a BBC article about the unemployment figures more generally shows. This makes the claim, in the County Economic Summary that I referred to above, that unemployment now at 10,729 JSA claimants is considerably lower than the peak in the last recession at 23,000 in February 1993 look like we are comparing apples and pears. I'm not sure if unemployment is as bad now as in the recessions of the 1980s and 90s but I think that relatively it is worse than the comparison above suggests.
Finally, a few words about vacancies. The number of vacancies in Worcestershire in December 2011 was 4,981, which is 12.3% higher than the previous month. Hopefully, this is good news, but I just want to take issue with a silly piece of journalism on the BBC Midlands Today programme on Wednesday (18 January) where they said there were 243,000 people unemployed in the West Midlands but there were 33,000 vacancies. They tried to run this as a story about skills shortages and there being jobs out there that people weren't taking. Undoubtedly, there may be shortages of people for some very specific jobs and there will be some jobs that many people won't want to do either because of the pay or the conditions (and this might be why some of them are filled by migrant workers). But self-evidently, not every vacancy is going to be filled all the time because there is a time lag in filling jobs. Even at the height of the boom there would have been vacancies waiting to be filled. It is also the case that the figure quoted is only for vacancies notified to JobCentre Plus. Many employers choose to use other private employment agencies or to advertise in the press or on the internet, wherever they judge is the best market-place for those types of employee they are seeking. For example, by and large, managerial and professional vacancies are not advertised at the Job Centre.
All this illustrates that the jobs market, both of vacancies and for those who are unemployed is a constantly moving situation. There are unfortunately, a significant number who have been unemployed more than six months (37% of the total) and 12 months (15% of the total) in Worcestershire, but the number of those unemployed quoted each month is a changing population as people move into and out of unemployment, and likewise, vacancies become available and are filled, some more quickly than others.
However, in all this analysis of statistics, let us not forget the people who are affected. I will always recall, as I may have mentioned before, saying to the District Manager of JobCentre that unemployment is thankfully low in Worcestershire, to which she replied that it was still a disaster for each individual affected.
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