Social justice in employment and remuneration of workers in the light of the parable of the Workers in the Vineyard

Description

The book is a re-reading of what is generally called the parable of the workers in the vineyard (Mt 20:1-15) through the lenses of an African from the perspective of social justice in employment and remuneration of workers. Africa has a lot of natural resources and avenues for employment, but the rate of unemployment and low remuneration for those who are privileged to find a job has made the question of social justice become imperative. Agrarian communities in the Mediterranean world of the New Testament were also confronted by the question of social justice as portrayed in the parable of the Workers in the Vineyard (Mt 20:1-15). The popular interpretation of the action of a vineyard owner who paid all his workers the same amount despite the fact that they were employed at different hours of the day is that it is an act of extreme generosity of a very unusual employer. This book adds a further dimension to the aspect of generosity in that the owner took cognizance of the condition of the unemployed and paid them according to need and not merit which is a higher dimension of social justice.