Statements in Meeting with a Group of Workers Nationwide on Labor Day

In the Name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

First of all, I welcome all dear brothers and sisters and I congratulate you in advance on the birth of Amir al-Mu'minin, the embodiment of justice and the brilliant face of all human history. I also congratulate you on the birth of Imam Jawad al-A'immah (peace be upon him), which is today. The blessings of the month of Rajab are not limited to these births; I recommend myself and you to benefit from the blessings of the month of Rajab by strengthening our heartfelt connection with God the Almighty. If each of us strengthens our relationship with God, many of the problems, difficulties, and disorders will be resolved on their own. I also thank the honorable minister for his remarks, which contained precise and good points that we endorse. I ask all officials - both in the Ministry of Labor and in other sectors of the government, as some of these issues are not related to your ministry but to other sectors - to pursue these clear lines.

We must work. Well, we have said good things many times, we have repeated them, and we have made good decisions, but what makes an impact on people's lives and in reality is our movement, our work, the realization of these matters, which, God willing, the Almighty God will grant us the success to move forward completely.

Today, our meeting with you, a collection of dear workers from across the country, is indeed a symbol of our expression of respect for the working class. We have talked a lot and will continue to do so, but the main point is that we want to honor the worker and honor work; we want to highlight the importance of work in our minds and in the minds of the Iranian nation. Let us pay attention that all great achievements are realized under the shadow of work in its broadest sense. Work has value; the worker, by virtue of the value of work, holds a high status in society. The well-known narration that the noble Prophet of Islam kissed the hand of a worker is not just a formality; it is a teaching. Therefore, we want work to be honored, the worker to be honored, and officials to pay attention to issues related to workers, to resolve the problems of working environments and the working community. There are problems; issues of delays, layoffs, livelihood, and similar matters exist at the national level and among the working community, and these are the problems of workers. Officials should focus their efforts more than ever on these issues; the purpose of this meeting is these matters.

What I feel is that the working community has truly and fairly done valuable work for the country since the beginning of the revolution until today; firstly, the value of work and the worker, secondly, their presence in the difficult fields of the country over these many years, and thirdly, not being seduced by those who wanted to place the working community in opposition to the system from the very beginning of the revolution. This great sacrifice was made by the workers while the problems of labor and the livelihood of workers have existed at various times, yet the working community has passed a good test.

As we mentioned, the existing problems cannot be solved merely by talking; action, initiative, and work are necessary. Secondly, the solutions to the economic problems of the country must be found within the country; the backbone is production; the backbone of the resistant economy that we have mentioned is the strengthening of domestic production; if this work is realized and efforts are focused on this issue, the problems of work will gradually be resolved, work will gain value, the worker will gain value, public employment will increase, and unemployment, which is a problem in society, will gradually decrease and disappear. The essence of work is the issue of production.

Some may say that this issue of production that you keep repeating - and we always emphasize production, both in public statements and in meetings with officials - has prerequisites; with the current situation of sanctions and international pressures, the flourishing and strengthening of production will not be realized. I do not deny that these oppressive sanctions imposed by the enemies of the Iranian nation and the enemies of the revolution have an impact; undoubtedly, they are not without effect, but I deny that these sanctions can prevent a well-organized, planned public effort for the flourishing of production; I do not accept that. I look at the level of the country and see that in various sectors, where the pressure from enemies and sanctions has actually been stronger, due to the efforts of officials, workers, and interested youth, production has advanced. I observe this and see it; it is evident to all. For instance, in the field of military industries; compare today with fifteen years ago or twenty years ago or even ten years ago, and you will see that we have made remarkable advancements; we have made extraordinary progress in military production. This is while the enemies' sanctions regarding military matters are more severe; they are not from this year or last year; such sanctions have existed for a long time - with great pressure - but we have progressed. Or in the field of biological sciences, biotechnology, we have made significant advancements; while the same limitations, the same sanctions have existed. Even in some of the world's renowned universities, Iranian students were not allowed to study in these fields, conduct research, or make progress, yet the country has made very prominent and remarkable advancements in these sciences that everyone can observe. Those who are informed and wish to be informed can find out about these non-secret matters. Or in some new sciences like nanotechnology - which are among the new technologies of the world - no one in the world helps us in these areas and has not helped, and will not help in the future, yet we are ahead; our elements, our youth, our researchers, our scientists are working in these areas, striving, and have made remarkable advancements. For instance, in knowledge-based industries; they held an exhibition in this Hosseiniyeh (the Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified) Hosseiniyeh) and I became acquainted with the interested youth in this work and various sectors of knowledge-based companies up close - of course, I had reports and was informed, but I also got to know them closely - they are working, they are striving, they are progressing. Today, we have made significant progress in knowledge-based companies compared to ten or fifteen years ago; all of this has occurred under sanctions. Yes, if the oppressive sanctions of the enemies did not exist, we might have made even more progress in these areas - we do not deny this - but it was also possible that we could have neglected, not pay attention to the needs of the country, and engage in matters that would not lead to the advancement of production for the country, such as relying on oil money and imports; this was also possible. We must truly pay attention to the fact that some of our advancements have been due to external restrictions; we must appreciate this; they did not give us help, and we were forced to take action ourselves. When the path of unregulated imports is opened and you can bring in whatever you want, human complacency leads one towards laziness and idleness. This is one side of the issue. Therefore, my emphasis on the issue of production should not be responded to by saying that production is not possible under strict sanctions; no, it is possible. Whatever you decide to do, if you strive, bring your forces to the scene, and seek help and guidance from God the Almighty, it is achievable; we have tested this.

We are now leading in some industries in the world; for instance, in dam construction. Who helped us in the world to reach this point in dam construction? Today, Iran is among the leading countries in dam construction. Dams that in some other countries are built at very high costs by some Western companies, if they are in the hands of Iranian youth, they might produce them even better and at lower prices; this is the progress we have made. Who helped us in these years? In the same way, the issues related to nuclear matters are the same; it is the same in various other matters.

I believe that the economic problems of the country, among the most important of which are labor issues, livelihood issues, and the issue of workers becoming unemployed - which reports come in and one sees these reports - if attention is paid to the issue of production, it will be resolved. It creates employment, instills a sense of dignity, and creates a sense of self-sufficiency. When a country relies on its internal forces, it will feel self-sufficient. A person may want to solve ten issues with the world, but it makes a difference whether you are solving an issue from a position of power or from a position of weakness. When a person feels powerful, they negotiate one way; when they feel weak and in need, they negotiate another way. If the internal structure of power in the country, especially in the economic field, is strong, all issues can be negotiated with various parties; a person negotiates from a position of power, not from a position of need, not from a position of dependency that extends the enemy's hand, constantly setting conditions and making irrelevant and nonsensical statements; I see the remedy in this. I say - I mentioned this on the first day of the year - that everyone must devote all their efforts in various sectors to the issue of production.

This, of course, has prerequisites; both investors, workers, consumers, and the responsible government agencies all have duties; this work is not one-dimensional; everyone must cooperate together. When we say that the unity and harmony of the people with the government means this; it means that everyone should cooperate to remove this large stone, this great boulder from the path of the country's movement.

Investors and those who have the capacity must invest. I knew individuals who could have taken their money to non-productive, high-profit sectors, but they did not; they said they would not do it; they want to serve the country; they came to invest in production, with less profit, less income; because they understood that the country needs it; well, this is worship. An investor who thinks of the country's needs and does not take their money to speculation and high-profit, harmful activities for the country, but invests it in production, their work is virtuous, therefore the investor has a role.

The honest worker has a role. A worker who endures the hardships of work - work is hard; physical work is one of the difficult matters in life - a worker who dedicates their life, time, and energy to produce quality work is performing an act of worship; this is virtuous. I have repeatedly mentioned in these meetings with you dear ones this narration from the noble Prophet: "May God have mercy on the one who does a work and perfects it"; mercy of God be upon the one who does their work diligently; whether in industrial work, agricultural work, or various labor issues; when work is done diligently and perfectly, the product comes out clean and strong. This is also the role of the worker. This too can be an act of worship.

A fair and conscientious consumer can also help the country's production in the same way; they should not pursue fame and brand - this is the statement that is now repeatedly emphasized: brand, brand - they should pursue the interest of the country. The interest of the country is to consume domestic production, to support the Iranian worker. Some are even willing to shout slogans in favor of the worker, to swell their neck veins and shout slogans, but in practice, they kick the Iranian worker. Kicking the Iranian worker means not using the products of this worker and going to get a similar one from abroad; sometimes even at higher prices! We are among the leaders in some industries in our country, yet in those very things, they go abroad to get products and bring them in. And this is the duty of everyone; including the duty of the government. The honorable Minister of Labor is present here; I ask you to raise this in the government, insist, and emphasize that items that are for government consumption must not come from abroad at all. This is a major issue; because the government, with its wide scope, is the primary consumer. They should not say that we want such and such item, we need it now, there is no domestic production, we have to bring it from abroad. Well, do you not have a plan? If you need it today, why do you say it today? You should have said it two years ago so that the domestic producer would have the opportunity to plan, produce, test, and experience until it reaches you today. These are important matters; these are not trivial matters. The government should decide that in none of the things it consumes, from the pen and paper on the desk to construction and other things, anything that can be produced domestically should be banned from coming from abroad. Complacency and negligence - negligence is the good side of the issue - and God forbid, abuse; the officials must prevent these. And we have also experienced this, we have tested it, and we have seen it in some places. Once, a project was being carried out - this was many years ago - they were constructing something, and I called the officials there and told them that in this work you are doing, try not to use any foreign materials; they promised and acted sincerely. In the end, when we received reports and investigated, it became clear that about 98 percent of the materials were sourced from within; only one or two percent were things that did not exist domestically and were brought from abroad. Well, these works can be done. Thus, the consumer is also one of the pillars of strengthening and promoting domestic production.

Another pillar is the anti-smuggling apparatus. We have emphasized the issue of combating smuggling so much; various governments have come and gone over the years; well, this is a task that must be realized and it is possible; they should not say it is impossible, it is completely possible; they should decisively stop smuggling. I once said do not only look for smuggling at the border; billions of dollars today in the country - since I cannot determine the exact figure because different figures are mentioned, but large amounts are said - are being spent on smuggled goods. Track smuggling from the border and from before the border to inside the stores. This is a very important matter; it is a very important task. And those who do this work are also striving, they are also worshipping; this is also virtuous.

Another pillar is the responsible import agencies. These agencies must also pay attention. Some items are not under the control of the government; the private sector is active and there is no other choice, but government agencies can guide with oversight; they should ensure that the issue of imports does not harm domestic production.

One issue is the responsibility of the propaganda and media agencies. The media must work on the issue of domestic consumption and domestic production in the true sense of the word; this has an impact.

One issue is the stability of laws, which is the responsibility of the Parliament. They should be careful not to constantly change the laws related to economic issues, including labor issues, so that those who want to plan can plan.

In any case, the cultural authorities of the country should plan for the condemnation of unemployment, underemployment, and avoidance of hard work. Dear ones! Hard work must be accepted. If we do not impose hard work on ourselves, if we do not accept it, we will not reach anywhere; we cannot just pursue easy work; we must accept hard work; wherever we are. Those who have been able to reach the peak in industry, technology, and scientific matters have imposed hard work on themselves. This requires cultural development. If we only pursue easy work, progress will not be made.

The authorities combating corruption also have a role in this regard. Now, the term corruption is frequently mentioned. Talking about corruption is of no use; merely saying "thief, thief" does not stop a thief from stealing; we must go in and take action. The officials of the country are not newspapers that talk about corruption. Yes, a newspaper may talk about corruption, but we, who are responsible, must take action; what else is there to say? We must enter; if we know how to take action, we must truly stop corruption.

These are our duties; these are the responsibilities of various sectors. This is the remedy for the economic problem of the country, which, if it is to be solved, must focus on production. Everyone has responsibilities in this way; of course, some responsibilities are heavier, some lighter, but everyone is responsible in this way. The key to solving economic problems is not in Lausanne, Geneva, or New York; it is within the country. Everyone should strive, everyone should make an effort, God willing, it will be resolved. The Iranian nation and the officials of the country have accomplished greater tasks over the years, and they can solve the issue of production as well. The current government is, thanks be to God, engaged in work and is interested, and knowledgeable individuals are present within the government; they should strive, work, and pursue, God willing, to resolve the problems.

Certainly, our working community is truly and fairly a noble community. Our working community is a noble community. I have been aware of the efforts that were made and the provocations that sought to place the working community in opposition to the Islamic system from the very beginning of the revolution, even before the decisive victory of the revolution - during the tumultuous demonstrations and upheaval in the country in 1979 - I was aware of them, I saw them; I observed some of them closely. Over the years, it has been the same; during my presidency and afterward, there have always been those who wanted to place the working community in opposition to the Islamic system, but the working community of the country has, with complete steadfastness, with stability, and with nobility, endured the difficulties and has stood firm; this is very valuable. Officials must appreciate this vast working community that endures difficulties and works. The reward for this nobility is that everyone should strive, God willing, to resolve these problems; God the Almighty will certainly assist those who have good intentions and wish to do good work and are moving toward good goals.

We hope that God the Almighty will include all of you dear ones and the dear workers and various officials in this sector in His grace and mercy; may He unite the martyrs of the working community with the Prophet; and may He unite the great Imam, who paved this path for us, with the Prophet. Peace be upon you and God's mercy and blessings.