Statements of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution in Meeting with Workers

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

I extend my warm greetings to all dear brothers and sisters who are workers, especially to those who have come from distant places and other cities. I congratulate all of you on the Workers' Week, which serves as an occasion for us to express our respect to the working community of the country.

The working community of the country has shown a good test before God, the believers, and the divine angels - the honorable scribes - from the beginning of the revolution until today; both in the recent struggles that led to the revolution and before the war (when opposing political groups were preparing to infiltrate the working community of the country and hinder the movement of the Islamic Republic, it was the workers who stood firm and pushed them aside; I witnessed this myself, it is not a tale or narration.) And during the war, alongside various urban classes, rural people, students, scholars, and clerics, employees of offices, artisans, and merchants, the workers stood shoulder to shoulder in these very difficult and dangerous lines of defense for the country and the revolution, both in the battlefield and in the factories, which were the real rear of the war. If one day fair writers want to accurately depict this continuous line of the Islamic Republic over these twenty-some years, it will become clear what the workers of our country have done for the revolution and how they have connected themselves to their divine duty and have made themselves honored before God Almighty. It was a great deed; today it is the same.

Regarding workers' issues, if God willing, the statements made by the honorable minister are implemented with the diligence of this government, most problems will be resolved; however, it should not remain at the stage of words, but should be pursued so that these actions become practical. The problems related specifically to the working class, those issues that pertain to the livelihood of workers or the dignity of workers, respect for workers, or the skills of workers, or the job security of workers, these are things we understand and the government officials, thanks be to God, have identified them; they should pursue these matters with seriousness. These problems and knots that arise from social security issues or from temporary contracts and similar matters or from the weak management of some factory managers - which leads to the unemployment of workers - should be resolved one by one with patience, wisdom, and continuous follow-up, and the problems of the working community will be solved.

One issue pertains to the relationships and feelings between workers and employers. These relationships in Islam, unlike the relationships between workers and employers in materialistic schools, are different. In materialistic schools, whether capitalist schools - which are entirely in favor of capital and view workers as tools and machines - or in communism - which claimed to be in favor of the working class and pretended to bring paradise for workers in this world, but their performance showed that they created a hellish life, not only for workers but for other classes of society as well - in both systems (both capitalist and communist), the relationship between workers and employers is antagonistic. In the capitalist system, the relationship is one of exploitation and pressure from that side; in the communist system, employers were depicted as a manifest devil and a monster; the reason for this was that they wanted to hand over all production resources and factories to the government and become the great employers themselves. They did this and it led to their downfall and destruction; it destroyed themselves and plunged their nations into despair.

In Islam, it is not like this; in Islam, the relationship between workers and employers is not that of two enemies, it is the relationship of two collaborators; it is not one of exploitation; that is, the employer is not the master of the worker. In the Western capitalist system, the owner of affairs is the employer; now for the sake of expediency, they may grant some privileges to the worker so that they do not lose their labor; but the relationship is such that the worker is viewed as a tool. Their view of the worker is not as a human being, but as a machine. Islam categorically rejects this. The worker is the one who directly produces work and the product of work; the employer is the one who provides the ground for this production. He is the producer of work and the product of work; he is the one who provides the ground and is the entrepreneur. If he is absent, work will be hindered; if the worker is absent, work will be hindered; like two partners, like two comrades-in-arms. This is the Islamic perspective. Both must have sincerity, love, and purity towards each other; both the employer towards the worker and the worker towards the employer. The rights of each should be respected by the other. If this happens, which is the Islamic perspective; both the dignity of the investor and entrepreneur and employer will remain and be preserved; and the dignity of the worker and the doer of work and the one present in the scene will also be preserved. The dignity and rights of both are preserved and the country will advance towards elevation. This is the relationship between workers and employers. Workers should appreciate their employers, and employers should appreciate their workers; like two comrades-in-arms, if either is harmed, the other will also be harmed; this is the issue. Regulating these relationships is also the responsibility of the country's officials; both those who legislate and those who implement the law. This is another matter that should be taken into consideration.

Another point is that all workers - whether skilled and educated workers at a high level, medium workers, or ordinary simple workers - should know that the very act of "work" from the Islamic perspective is a righteous deed. The verse "Indeed, mankind is in loss except for those who have believed and done righteous deeds"; this righteous deed that saves a person from loss is not just praying, fasting, visiting shrines, and reciting dhikr; those are also included; however, performing the duties of life well is also a righteous deed and one of its most important aspects is "work".

It has been narrated that if the Prophet saw a young person capable of work sitting idle, being lazy and not working, he would say: "He has fallen from my sight". Work is a righteous deed. You have heard that the Prophet saw the rough and calloused hand of a companion; he asked: Why is your hand like this? He replied: O Messenger of God! I work with this hand. The Prophet took that hand and kissed it and said: "This is a hand that will not touch the fire"; is there a righteous deed greater than this?! Work like this. When you go to the workshop, when you go to the farm, when you go to the workplace, from any kind of work that is called "work"; whether it is the work of a skilled and specialized worker at a high level - and today, thanks be to God, we do not lack skilled and specialized workers at a high level in the country - or medium workers or simple workers - that simple worker is exactly the same - when he goes to the machine or to any point in the factory where he wants to engage in work, he should know that this work he is about to do today is a work for which God Almighty will reward him. The act of work has value; besides the fact that "work" is a means of livelihood and income for life; which is also an important matter and another form of worship.

You see, if in a country the general society of that country views work with the perspective that work is worship, then the economic and scientific progress of that country will reach great heights. This is the logic of Islam. Therefore, if we feel respect and affection for workers at any level, it is not in vain; it is because behind this feeling of love and respect, there exists such a deep and rich Islamic culture.

Thanks be to God, our working community is like this. Of course, we have an employment problem in the country and this problem of unemployment must, God willing, be gradually eradicated with the efforts of the government and these service-oriented officials - who I see do not recognize day or night and are constantly busy working - and with their wisdom. These occasional unemployment issues that arise, which I mentioned, some factories due to weak management or incompetence of managers or some profit-driven motives, reach a point where they deprive and leave workers unemployed; these should be pursued by the officials and should be eliminated. Our society cannot bear this problem. We are currently moving with great strength and power down a steep slope; we are not at a standstill. Our society is one that is advancing with power. You see how the arrogant powers of the world are tearing their collars! The statements made by people like Bush and his associates are just tearing their collars; they are tearing their own collars. This is because you are advancing with all your might. The Iranian society has not stopped. The revolution came, opened the way, and increased this confidence in itself. Before the victory of the revolution, they both blocked the paths and weakened the motivations, saying: "Oh, the Iranian cannot do it, the Iranian has no capability"; this was said by their elders and they said it explicitly. They struck at the heads of this productive generation and this bubbling talent; one of their greatest betrayals is this. The revolution came, opened the way, and said: "Oh, you can do it." We went and saw they were right, "We could." This country, which for many years had only a few dams built, all by foreigners; who would have believed that this country would become the leader in dam construction in the entire region, in terms of technology, capability, and scientific power and calculations and the like! This country, where most areas were deprived of regular electricity, who would have believed it would now embark on a path to provide nuclear energy - not borrowing from others - to obtain its energy through this advanced method of the world! Who would have thought?! We went, saw it was possible; we took action, and saw we could. This nation has this experience. After this, it will be the same.

All the youth of the country, all thinkers and planners, and all the elders of the country, men and women, must strive in this great and collective movement of this nation, to share in it, and it is possible. Wherever you are and wherever you are working, know that that place is a corner of this vast front; if you work well, orderly, faithfully, and skillfully there, you have made an impact on this front. And the enemy does not want this; keep this in mind. Our enemies and the wicked global arrogance have understood that they cannot engage with the Islamic Republic of Iran in military warfare; it brings them great losses, and they understand this well. They are allocating budgets and their effort is to create divisions among the people - among students, among workers, among administrative bodies, among employees, and among various classes - to prevent the country from continuing on the path it is taking. Today, the enemy is pursuing this. Everyone must be vigilant. Our divine duty is that each of us, wherever we are, keep our eyes and ears more open than ever and see what designs the enemy has for this point where we are located; we must not allow him to succeed in this design; this is our duty.

At one time, they threatened the Islamic Republic and the Iranian nation with military attacks, war, and such things; they still do sometimes, not that they do not; but they know how much loss this would bring them, and I say now; these American officials, to carry out their own agendas - this is always the case; not just with us, but with the whole world - their language of threat is always open and they threaten. Some governments and nations are weak-willed and in the face of these threats, they give in and surrender; they are encouraged to continue threatening. An awakened nation, a nation with self-confidence, and a determined nation does not pay attention to these threats; its officials are the same. A government that relies on the people, a system that is supported and protected by the people themselves, does not fear threats. I say here: Americans should know that if they attack Islamic Iran, Islamic Iran will strike at their interests wherever possible in the world. We are not the kind of people who sit idly by while someone strikes us without responding; we are people of peace, we are people of tranquility, and we do not attack anyone; the reason is clear, let them see; which country have we attacked? With which country have we started a war? Which country have we threatened? We are not of such things; but we are of the kind that if someone strikes us, we will respond to their strike with double intensity.

I tell you dear brothers and sisters; the best way to combat global arrogance and enemies is to strive in building and advancing our country as much as we can; scientific progress, technological progress, moral progress, national solidarity, and strengthening the foundations of faith and spiritual motivations; the more we advance in these areas, the more the enemy retreats, and this is the most important struggle of the Iranian nation.

We ask God Almighty to grant all of you and us the success to fulfill our duties well and to please the sacred heart of the Awaited Imam (may our souls be sacrificed for him) and to make the pure spirit of Imam and the dear martyrs - from whom we have everything - pleased and satisfied with us.

Peace be upon you and God's mercy and blessings.