Deut 24, 14-15 You shall not defraud a poor servant

(Deut 24, 14-15) You shall not defraud a poor servant

[14] You shall not defraud a poor and needy hired servant, whether he be one of your own countrymen or one of the aliens who live in your communities. [15] You shall pay him each day's wages before sundown on the day itself, since he is poor and looks forward to them. Otherwise he will cry to the LORD against you, and you will be held guilty.

(CCC 1867) The catechetical tradition also recalls that there are "sins that cry to heaven": the blood of Abel (Cf. Gen 4:10), the sin of the Sodomites (Cf. Gen 18:20; 19:13), the cry of the people oppressed in Egypt (Cf. Ex 3:7-10), the cry of the foreigner, the widow, and the orphan (Cf. Ex 20:20-22), injustice to the wage earner (Cf. Deut 24:14-15; Jas 5:4). (CCC 2434) A just wage is the legitimate fruit of work. To refuse or withhold it can be a grave injustice (Cf. Lev 19:13; Deut 24:14-15; Jas 5:4). In determining fair pay both the needs and the contributions of each person must be taken into account. "Remuneration for work should guarantee man the opportunity to provide a dignified livelihood for himself and his family on the material, social, cultural and spiritual level, taking into account the role and the productivity of each, the state of the business, and the common good" (GS 67 § 2). Agreement between the parties is not sufficient to justify morally the amount to be received in wages.