In a statement published on its website on Wednesday, the "Associazione Dipendenti Laici Vaticani" demanded that all austerity measures taken by the Vatican Secretariat for the Economy must fulfil the principles of solidarity, proportionality and fairness: "The cuts must be proportional to everyone's means and must not affect the families of employees."
Last week, a letter from the head of the Vatican's Secretariat for the Economy became public, according to which the salaries of curia cardinals will be reduced by several hundred euros in order to support the Holy See's austerity measures.
The Vatican trade union reacted sceptically to the announcement: Curia cardinals earn little compared to other executives anyway.
In addition, the savings for the 30 or so cardinals affected are comparatively small. There are therefore questions among the lay employees: "Is this a preparatory measure for further cuts to our salaries to cover the Holy See's budget deficit, which is clearly not being curbed by the economic reform?"
Increased workload and poor pay
The last cuts to salaries in the Papal States had already hit employees hard. The two-year zero round from 2021 means a loss of 20,000 euros over the entire working life, and the cut will also affect the pension scheme.
According to the union, the fact that some managers were not affected by the cuts caused dissatisfaction: "A form of reverse pay equity."
In addition, the workload had increased, upcoming promotions had not materialised despite those affected having greater areas of responsibility, and overtime was poorly paid. Salary increases have not been able to keep pace with inflation.
The ADLV claims to have around 700 members and represents the laity among Vatican employees; it has been recognised as a trade union by the Holy See since 1993. In recent years, the ADLV has become increasingly dissatisfied with working conditions at the Vatican.
In September, Paola Monaco, who works in the Pontifical Committee for the Eucharistic World Congresses, was elected as the union's new General Secretary.
Following her election, she announced a "new era": "The voice of the workers can no longer be ignored; it is anachronistic to make decisions unilaterally and impose them from above."