Labor rebellion at the epicenter of Catholicism. The Association of Lay Employees of the Vatican has opened a war against its bosses to denounce what it considers a violation of its labor rights. The company that would act as the union of the smallest state in the world, since employees do not have the right to strike or create such organizations, has recently published a unpublished manifesto in which they denounce a reduction in rights in the form of outsourcing and privatization.
«The most recent news tells us of a Vatican that is opening up to outsourcing in various sectors,” says this entity in a statement, which makes up 600 of the almost 5,000 Vatican employees. Thus, this platform created in 1993 and recognized by Rome as a representative body of workers gives as an example some cleaning and janitorial contracts, as well as Annona, the only supermarket in the Vatican, which before the end of the year will be exploited for the first time in its history by an external company. In addition, they warn that the real estate management The company has also been put in the hands of agencies, which will mean that the residences in which some employees live will rise to market price and will put an end to one of the great benefits they had until now. Regarding the investments, they question the fact that they are supervised by North American companies. In the manifesto they also refer to the first class action lawsuit presented in spring by the Vatican Museums workers to demand improvements such as recognition of seniority, sick leave and compensation for overtime.
At the same time, they criticize a reduction in hiring, Limitations on overtime paydelays in an announced salary reform and Absence of pension measures. They even hint that promotions are taking place that “do not always develop according to meritocratic criteria.” Although the average salary of a Vatican worker can be around 2,000 euros per monththe profile is so diverse that there are up to fourteen categories of employees. The most basic salary is around 1,500 euros, which would correspond, for example, to that of a salesperson in a souvenir shop. An administrator, an accountant or a journalist can earn around 3,000 euros, with thirteen annual payments, a seniority bonus every two years and compensation linked to inflation.Senior officials earn between 2,900 and 3,650 euros, although some can earn up to 25,000.
In this scenario, there are those who question the complaints of the Employees Associationconsidering that, Rather than claiming rights, privileges are claimed. Faced with this, the group assumes that Francis has promoted a structural reform that would be shaping “a somewhat lame multinational.” In fact, they do not hesitate to throw a dart at the pontiff, who has made the defense of workers around the world one of his spearheads, quoting one of his favorite phrases: “Work is proper to the human person: it expresses his dignity as a creature made in the image of God.”
The truth is that one of the main tasks that the cardinals made in the meetings prior to the last conclave It was a comprehensive clean-up in light of the corruption scandals and before a bankruptcy The problem is not due to a lack of income, but to poor management. The Argentine pontiff got down to work and, after a failed attempt at reform by the late Cardinal George Pell, he put the challenge in the hands of a Spanish team led by the Jesuit Juan Antonio Guerrero. After almost three years as “minister” of the Economy, where he supported fundamental changes, he resigned from the post for health reasons. At the head of the Secretariat of State was his main collaborator, Maximino Caballero, who is the prefect in substance and form. Since 2020, expenses, tenders and contracts of all kinds have been optimized and controlled, with criteria of transparency, legality and competence. This state of permanent auditing has translated into internal opposition from those who handled the ecclesiastical purse at will.
To get an idea of the situation that the Extremadura staff in charge of putting order to this confusion found themselves in, suffice it to say that the Vatican did not even have a human resources department as such. Francis created it in the summer of 2022. In September he appointed Madrid lawyer Luis Herrera Tejedor as director, something that did not please. Not only because he was not Italian, but because he brought with him a system of evaluation of workers that has exposed more than one.
Even so, the Ministry of the Economy has not given up on its efforts to cleanse with a papal maxim: zero layoffs. With this premise that limits action in the midst of an overpopulation of janitors, ushers and assistants, the adjustments have come through other channels. “Rather than cuts, what has been established are control measures that have not existed until now,” say those who know from within the steps that have been taken. “I would say that, rather than erasing workers’ rights, perks have been reduced,” says a Vatican source, who criticises the system of clans that exists between Italian “famiglias” of employees that until now have functioned as “authentic dynasties”. “In essence, in some cases it is like getting an inherited opposition position, with an advantage, because you were hired without any risk of being fired,” denounce other voices. These benefits are compounded by the fact that they pay only 10 percent in taxes, compared to any other Italian citizen, who must contribute around 40 percent of their gross salary to the state coffers.
The “union” sees things differently and predicts “a radical change of direction: from a small community inspired by the values of the Gospel, eager to highlight its particularity in the eyes of the world, to a fully-fledged company.”