In connection with this interesting story, which calls to mind some of our discussions (here and here) about the nature and extent of the Catholic observance of the 3rd Commandment, Catharina Oxoniensis drew my attention to a passage from Fr. Ripley’s This is the Faith. From the CWNews story, we learn that

Archbishop Tadeusz Goclowski of Danzig supported the aims of the Solidarity movement, but questioned whether a strike was the best way to persuade the public. He said, “We should fight to close stores on Sundays and holy days, but there remains the question: Is a strike the preferred weapon?”

Fr. Ripley’s has the following to say about the use of strikes:

The principal weapons used by organised labour to secure its rights are the strike and the threat of the strike, and the Church teaches that men are justified in withholding their labour, under certain conditions, when they suffer injustice in the conditions of their work. These “certain conditions” demand very careful consideration. They are follows:

1. A strike can only be lawfully invoked when there is a just and grave cause.
2. There must be some hope of success. (Failure or compromise might leave things worse than they were before.)
3. Other solutions must have been tried and failed.
4. Justice and charity must always be preserved.
5. The rights of public duty must be respected. (A general sympathy strike is practically certain to be unjust because the rights of the public are bound to be violated.)

Although the Church admits that, in theory, strikes may well be lawful and just, the Popes have always discouraged workers in the use of this weapon. Other less harmful and less dangerous means of settlement should be employed first, with patience, charity and perseverance. It is the duty of the State to try to bring about conciliation in disputes between employers and workers when it is seen that they cannot come to a just agreement unaided. In these times the strike has been used as a political weapon by Communists and other anti-social organizations; therefore, it is more than ever necessary to make sure that all the above conditions are fulfilled before the gave step of calling a strike is taken.