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Vatican employees have complained to Pope Francis about job inequality, low morale and wage cuts, as the world’s smallest city-state is absorbed by the global debate over the future of work caused by the crisis. Covid-19.
In an open letter to the head of the Catholic Church, Vatican employees said the Holy See’s decision cut workers’ wages during the pandemic it had been unfair and perpetuated an “exclusive, anti-meritocratic and disincentive” job.
This year, Pope Francis issued a decree by which the Vatican would cut the salaries of cardinals by 10% and reduce the remuneration of other staff by between 3% and 8%, to deal with an intensive budget deficit caused by a revenue collapse during the pandemic.
“According to the most basic theories of work psychology, these strategies not only bear fruit in the long run, in terms of motivation, personal satisfaction and production, but they boomerang in terms of performance,” Vatican employees wrote. a unsigned letter published in various Italian media.
The Vatican declined to comment on the letter. An official confirmed that it had circulated through several offices of the Holy See, but said it was unclear how many employees were signatories. The Vatican, which has a permanent population of less than 1,000 people, had a total of 4,618 employees in 2019, according to its state news release.
The letter complained that the pandemic had increased work pressure, while many did not have the option of working remotely and said there was “great bitterness” that the Vatican had not yet established a human resources department.
Employees also said the Holy See’s eagerness for austerity was particularly annoying, as Vatican workers were unable to enjoy the benefits they would have in private companies, including “productivity bonuses, promotions based on goals achieved. , selection systems based on merit and professional growth ”. .
The decision to cut salaries by the Pope had an “honorable purpose” to safeguard existing jobs, according to the letter, but added that staff were “bitter” for not being consulted on the decision and complained that some employees suffered more than others. They also requested a meeting with Pope Francis to discuss the situation.
This year Juan Antonio Guerrero Alves, the Vatican’s top economic official, said his spending this year will be “the lowest in the recent history of the Holy See,” as the closure of its museums during the closure measures and the fall of the donations have caused a squeeze on their finances.
The Vatican has said it expects its total revenue to fall 30% this year to 213 million euros compared to 2019, the year before the Covid-19 pandemic in Europe, and to record a deficit of 49 .7 million euros in 2021 compared to the 11 million euros deficit in 2019.
To fill the gap, he has said he will use money from his reserves, the exact size of which is unknown and covers vast real estate holdings around the world and other investments controlled by APSA, its sovereign wealth manager.
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