Section — Noldin, Summa of Moral Theology
Section 2. On the Obligations of Masters
303. Masters are bound toward their servants: a. to treat them kindly; b. to direct them; c. to pay them a just price.
- To treat them kindly, that is, to address them humanely, to provide sufficient food, not to burden them with excessive labors, to care suitably for the sick: "If thou hast a faithful servant, let him be to thee as thy own soul; treat him as a brother."1
Hence masters sin against charity if they offend servants by addressing them with harsh and contumelious words, if they burden them with excessive labor, if they do not devote due bodily care to the sick. But they are not bound to the expenses to be made in their cure, namely for physicians and remedies.
- To direct them and, if there is need, to correct them, that is, to devote due spiritual care to them; for the master is head of the whole family, to which servants also pertain. But it belongs to the head to direct subjects: "But if anyone does not have care of his own, and especially of those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever."2
Therefore they are bound: a. to grant servants time so that they can fulfill religious obligations, for example, hear Mass, attend a sermon, frequent the sacraments; indeed they ought to take care that servants do this. b. They are bound to warn and correct them, especially if they sin by blasphemies or foul speech and give scandal; to prohibit illicit familiarities to them; to impede the occasion of sinning. c. They are bound to dismiss impious servants who are a scandal to others and, when warned, do not amend themselves, where they can find other suitable servants; a fortiori they are bound not to hire servants of this sort. d. But they must especially beware lest by bad example, scandal, or solicitation they themselves induce servants to sin. Nevertheless, the sin of scandal or induction does not put on a specific malice from the relation of master to servant unless the master has assumed special spiritual care in place of parents.
- To pay a just price, and that from justice; for by the contract entered they obligated themselves to this. Defrauding due wages is numbered among the sins crying to heaven.3
a. Hence they sin against justice if without just cause they subtract anything from the promised wage or for a long time defer payment with damage to the servants. If a servant who has been hired at least for a year becomes sick for a brief time, for example, for a week, the whole stipend is due to him; but if he is sick for a notable time, the whole stipend is not due to him, for he cannot demand pay except for service furnished.4
b. They also sin if they demand labors to which servants are not bound by force of the contract and do not increase the stipend for them; if they dismiss servants before the constituted time without just cause and do not keep them indemnified. Therefore if a servant unjustly dismissed cannot find another service, the master must pay him the whole wage. If indeed he finds another, but not equally good or not immediately, the master must supply the defect. But if he immediately finds another equally good, the master is bound to nothing in conscience before the sentence of a judge, because he has inflicted no damage upon him.
c. If a servant departs before the constituted time from the fault of the master, because, for example, he is treated harshly by him, he does not indeed have the right to the whole wage, but he has the right that damages be repaired to him; and sometimes the whole salary does not suffice to repair them.
1 Ecclus. 33:31. Cf. Eph. 6:9.
2 1 Tim. 5:8.
3 Deut. 24:14 s.; Jas. 5:4.
4 Cf. St. Alphonsus, n. 346.