Bishop Brunetti tells workers: the person comes first, the laborer before the bottle

Bishop Marco Brunetti addressed a demonstration against caporalato, the illegal exploitation of agricultural workers, in Alba on Saturday, October 24. Speaking at Piazza San Paolo, the Bishop of Alba joined associations, unions, and the diocesan Caritas to support laborers in the Langhe and Roero regions.

Brunetti stated that exploitative labor practices are both a crime and an offense to God and humanity. He said that depriving people of dignified work is a theft of dignity, asserting that the person must come before profit and the laborer before the wine bottle.

The Bishop called for structural and lasting social policies that involve all parties and provide support throughout every season, rather than only during the winter. He cited Pope Francis regarding the connection between work and dignity, and referenced Pope John Paul II's teaching in Laborem Exercens that work is a worthy good corresponding to human dignity.