The Association of Vatican Lay Workers (; ADLV) is a kind of

trade union A trade union (British English) or labor union (American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers whose purpose is to maintain or improve the conditions of their employment, such as attaining better wages ...

Vatican City Vatican City, officially the Vatican City State (; ), is a Landlocked country, landlocked sovereign state and city-state; it is enclaved within Rome, the capital city of Italy and Bishop of Rome, seat of the Catholic Church. It became inde ...

. The ADLV was founded in 1979 and, as stated in its Statute, is a free and independent organisation of lay employees whose purpose is to protect the professional, legal, economic, moral and collective interests of its members and to promote the improvement of their living and working conditions, affirming its faith in the dignity of the human person, in their unique value and in fundamental human rights, according to the Social Doctrine of the Church. Recognised as legitimately constituted since 1980 by St. John Paul II, it is mentioned in the Letter of the Supreme Pontiff John Paul II on the meaning of work performed at the Apostolic See in 1982 as an “initiative in accordance with the Social Doctrine of the Church” that can 'perform a valuable task of collaboration' and “a fruitful function in the working community operating in harmony with the Apostolic See”. The first ever strike in the Vatican was organized by the ADLV in 1988. In 1992 the union organised a successful mass resignation campaign to protest against the absence of pensions for workers. Vatican authorities formally recognised the ADLV in 1993.

References

Catholic trade unions Trade unions in Vatican City International Trade Union Confederation Trade unions established in 1985 Labour Office of the Apostolic See Associations of the Christian faithful 1985 establishments in Vatican City {{Europe-trade-union-stub