Statements in Meeting with Thousands of Workers from Across the Country

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

Thanks be to God, the Lord of the worlds, and peace and blessings be upon our master and prophet, Abu al-Qasim al-Mustafa Muhammad, and upon his pure and chosen progeny, especially the remainder of God on earth.

Welcome, dear brothers and sisters, esteemed workers. I convey my heartfelt greetings through you, the respected attendees, to the working community of the country. God willing, may you be successful and supported. I am very pleased that this "Workers' Week" exists, allowing us to meet with a gathering of workers, at least to express our verbal gratitude to the working community; this opportunity is precious for us. Yes, verbal gratitude is certainly not enough, but it is necessary. I sincerely thank our workers for their efforts, their dignity, their determination, and God willing, for the progress of the working community.

I will present a few points. The points I mention may be clear and obvious to you. The reason I emphasize stating these points is that they must become common knowledge, transforming into public opinion, and the general outlook of society must pay attention to these matters. If a matter becomes common in public opinion, understood, known, and accepted, then the realization of that demand will become easier; governments, officials, and all stakeholders will help fulfill that demand; we want this realization to occur.

The first point concerns the value of the worker. Well, much has been said about the value of the worker; I have also made remarks, others have spoken, and you all know. The highest statement that can be made in this regard is that the noble Prophet of Islam (peace be upon him) kissed the calloused hand of the worker, according to this narration. What could be higher than this? This is the value of the worker. However, there is a point here; in the world, different countries, nations, and cultures all have a Workers' Day; Workers' Day belongs to the whole world, but the point is that the materialistic world's view of the worker differs from Islam's view of the worker. Yes, the materialistic world also values the worker, but why? Because the worker is a tool, a means of producing wealth for the employer; the materialistic world's view of the worker is instrumental, like a screw and nut, like a machine itself. Islam does not view it this way; Islam's view of the worker and the value it assigns to the worker stems from the value it assigns to work; Islam regards work as having intrinsic value.

The meaning of the expressions "good deeds" mentioned in the Quran and various praises of "work" in numerous narrations is not limited to prayer and fasting; "work" means all kinds of actions; both the actions a person performs as worship and the actions a person performs to bring halal sustenance to the table; this is also work, this is also a good deed; "except for those who have believed and done righteous deeds" includes this work as well; the term "work" is a general term. Thus, you see in the case of Sa'd ibn Mu'adh, who was martyred, the Messenger of God went into the grave, laid him down inside, and then when they were preparing the grave, they repeatedly said, "Give us plaster, give us water, give us clay" to secure the grave; well, why secure the grave? It is clear that it will collapse in four days. The Prophet answered this implicit question; no one had asked, but a question was raised. The Prophet answered, saying, "Yes, we know that in a few days it will disintegrate—both that body and that grave—but God loves that when a person performs an action, they do it well, they do it correctly; the narration's expression is: Indeed, God loves that when one of you does an action, they do it well." Thus, it is evident that the actions mentioned in the narrations also include such actions. This work has intrinsic respect.

Therefore, in a narration—concerning society and human gatherings—it is stated: "Whoever works increases in strength; a society in which work exists and actions are performed will increase in power and strength; and whoever falls short in work will increase in weakness." Work creates strength; both in the individual and in society; this is how work is. Thus, work in Islam has intrinsic value. Who performs this work? You; the worker. Therefore, the worker has intrinsic value. See, this is the perspective. The perspective is not that if this does not happen, my pocket will remain empty; it is not viewed as a tool; Islam does not look at it this way; it says this person is working, and work has intrinsic value, so this worker also has intrinsic value. I want to say this so that both you, as workers, pay attention to the value and importance of the worker's position and emphasize it, and so that the society and people of the country recognize how important the worker is. This is one point.

The second point concerns the current issue of the country, which is the economy. One of the important issues of today’s country is the issue of "economy"; that is why in recent years, we have emphasized sensitive economic points in the annual slogan. This year, we said "production leap," not "increase in production"; "leap"! How is a leap achieved? With the participation of the people. I firmly believe, and all our expert economists share this view, that if the people enter the economic arena, especially if they enter the production field, production will leap; when production leaps, the country becomes wealthy, the people become wealthy, the workers' pockets are filled, employment increases, unemployment decreases, and many of the workers' and economic problems in the country will be resolved. This is the economic issue.

Now, in this slogan—"production leap"—who is the cornerstone of the production leap? The worker; meaning besides the intrinsic value I mentioned in the first point, the second point is that in this year's slogan and in the overall policy that must be pursued this year, and which the officials of the country, thanks be to God, are pursuing and holding meetings about, discussing, and hopefully finding solutions, the role of the worker is a prominent role; that is, the role of a skilled, motivated, and enthusiastic worker in the production leap is undeniable and significant. If we want to put it correctly, we say [the role of] the worker and the entrepreneur. The entrepreneur is also important; they must be present so that the worker can work. The worker and the entrepreneur are two collaborators on the front lines of the economic battle. Today, we are facing an economic battle; it is an economic war; this war is like the eight-year imposed war of the early revolution; that was a military imposed war, this is an economic imposed war. America in one way, the countries allied with America in another way, are actually waging war against Islamic Iran, against the Islamic Republic; it is an economic war. In this economic war we are engaged in, the front line and the forefront belong to the worker and the entrepreneur; [their role] is this. But my point is not this part of the issue; my point is that you who are fighting against America, recognize the value of your work; that is, the worker and the entrepreneur are at the forefront of this struggle. The better you work, the more support you receive for good work—which I will discuss later—will be effective in this economic battle. This is the second point.

The third point is that there are responsibilities here; there are responsibilities that the government and officials have towards the worker—actions must be taken for the worker—and there are responsibilities on the workers themselves; that is, both sides have responsibilities that must be fulfilled. I will now briefly mention these responsibilities. First, everyone should be aware that improving the situation of the working community has a significant impact on improving the situation of the entire society. As I have been informed, we have about fourteen million workers, and if we count their families, it exceeds forty million people; well, forty million means half the population of the country. If efforts are made, if work is done to improve the situation of the working community, it means that the situation of half the population of the country has improved; this is very important. Now, the responsibilities that exist here, some of which I have noted, I will mention.

The first issue, which is one of the most important needs of the working community, and the esteemed minister is here, and the officials of the country are listening, is the issue of job security. "Job security" means that the worker should have confidence in their future work. We have experienced a period of large and sometimes long-established factories shutting down. Well, when a large factory shuts down, sometimes several thousand workers become unemployed; this is very important. Well, thanks be to God, in the past couple of years, due to the efforts of the officials, many of the closed workshops have reopened. As I have been informed, nearly ten thousand factories that were closed or semi-closed have been revived; this work must continue. Various methods for job security for workers must be provided. Therefore, job security is one of the responsibilities that the officials have, so that the worker who is now working with contentment and dignity at least knows that their job future is guaranteed and that no problems will arise for them.

Another point is the issue of insurance, which the esteemed minister mentioned; the issue of insurance is very important. The general policies of social security, which include workers and non-workers, were announced long ago; the esteemed president has also ordered that the regulations be prepared; however, as I have been informed, the necessary actions that should have been taken have not been done properly and completely.

A significant issue is the safety of the workforce; the workforce must not be harmed in the workplace. The safety of the workforce is very important. One of the important needs of the worker, which places a responsibility on the government officials and employers, especially the government and similar entities, is the need for skills. The worker is ready to work, but in some places, they need more skills. This skill enhancement and knowledge enhancement regarding work greatly assist in the advancement of work; it is beneficial for both the worker and the country. This skill enhancement, which empowers the workforce—making human resources capable in terms of work skills—is one of their responsibilities.

In this regard, the issue of seeking out outstanding talents is also important. Among the working community, there are sometimes outstanding talents that come up with innovations; if the relevant organizations can identify these talents, find them, and give them the opportunity to innovate and create, I believe the situation of the working community and work in the country will greatly improve.

Of course, some of these responsibilities we mentioned fall on the government agencies, such as the Ministry of Labor or even educational institutions and training centers. I have repeatedly advised the Ministry of Education regarding vocational and technical training; this greatly helps the workforce and their skill enhancement. Now, some believe that it may be necessary and possible to provide practical training alongside theoretical lessons in universities, schools, and educational institutions, and even to issue identification and certificates to demonstrate the competence and qualifications of a worker, of a young person who has studied vocationally here, so that they can work. This is another issue that we mentioned; some of these responsibilities fall on the government, and some on the managers of production enterprises. If these responsibilities are fulfilled, we believe the working community will improve; these are responsibilities towards the working community.

The working community itself also has responsibilities. In Islam, it is this way; anyone who has a right over you, you also have a right over them; rights are reciprocal. A right over you entails that you also have a right; if you have a right over someone, they also have a right over you. These rights are reciprocal. One responsibility of the worker is to value work. My serious recommendation to the working community is: you who are workers, engaged in work, know that you are creating value. The issue is not just that "we work and bring halal bread to the table"; of course, that is true, but it is not just that. When you work, you are building the country. Your work leads to the prosperity of the country. When the country is prosperous, dignity and pride arise, and the country becomes powerful. I read the narration that when work is done, it adds strength to the country. Therefore, your work has two aspects: a personal aspect and a public aspect; well, this is very valuable. Pay attention to the value of your work.

Secondly, consider work as a trust; this responsibility entrusted to you is a trust in your hands. Thirdly, perform your work diligently and accurately; do not do it haphazardly, and I have emphasized this issue many times in the past, given multiple examples, so I do not want to repeat it. Discipline in the workplace, a sense of responsibility towards work, all these are duties of the worker.

When we say "value work," it is not specific to the working community; all people should value work. [This work] has two benefits: one benefit is that [society] views the worker as a valuable being. When society values work, it considers the worker—any worker; a worker who works on a machine, a worker who works in the field, a worker who works in construction; anyone to whom the term "worker" applies—as a valuable being. The second is that the person themselves also develops a desire to work. We have a number of young people in the country who, unfortunately, are young but have no desire to work; they do not seek work; they neither receive work training nor search for jobs. We also have some who are looking for work, but they only consider desk jobs as work; they pursue that; while desk jobs are not always work, sometimes they are unemployment, and even where it is considered work, it is not limited to desk jobs. Therefore, young people must play a role in production in the country; this role-playing occurs when it is felt that work is valuable.

Another point regarding the issue of people's participation in production is that we said, "production leap with people's participation." How is "people's participation" achieved? This is a question. Now, suppose someone wants to participate in the production leap; how do they participate? Who should teach them? This is my point. One of the important responsibilities of officials is to sit down and clarify the grounds for people's presence and participation in production, in productive work, and prepare the grounds. For example, one is cooperation—creating cooperative production companies—one is assisting with home-based work; one is assisting with handicrafts; one is assisting in creating knowledge-based companies. Of course, the government can utilize economic experts who are fortunately in the government and outside the government; they can provide many other ways to encourage people's participation; participation in industrial matters, home matters, handicrafts, agriculture, animal husbandry; in all these, people can participate; the way must be shown to the people, the grounds for people's participation must be prepared, and the discussion of people's participation must be facilitated.

Of course, there is another point related to the government, which is that banking credits should also be directed towards production, which is not the case today. Banking credits and facilities must be more directed towards production; banking officials must pay attention to this.

The last point relates to sanctions. Well, when we talk about economic issues, we cannot be indifferent to sanctions. We have been facing severe sanctions for years; sanctions that the sanctioners themselves, mainly the Americans and some Europeans following them, have said are unprecedented in history! They themselves have said this. Well, first of all, what is the goal of these sanctions? They mention certain goals, but they lie; that is not the goal. They raise the issue of nuclear energy, the issue of nuclear weapons, the issue of human rights; these are not the issues. [They say] we sanction Iran because it supports terrorism! "Terrorism" is who? The people of Gaza! The people of Gaza are considered terrorists by them! A wicked, fake, oppressive government has killed nearly forty thousand people, including several thousand children, in six months, committing mass murder, [but] it is not a terrorist, and the people who are under its bombardment are terrorists! So these excuses are false excuses; the goal of the sanctions is to put Islamic Iran in a bind. They want to constrain the Islamic Republic of Iran with sanctions; so what happens? So that it submits to their colonial and arrogant lines, complies with their coercive demands and power-seeking expectations, and makes its policies subordinate to their policies; that is the goal. Now, some well-meaning individuals—may their intentions be good—constantly recommend, "Well, you should make some agreement with America, listen to what they say"! Well, their expectations are endless; the expectations of America are endless. A few years ago, right here in the Hosseiniyeh, regarding nuclear issues, I said in a public talk that the Americans should specify how much nuclear retreat they would need to be satisfied; they are not willing to specify; it is clear. They come step by step until they reach the point that happened in a North African country; that is, to collect all nuclear materials. A country needs nuclear energy [for] nuclear medicine and treatment—hundreds of necessary tasks are carried out in the country with these nuclear advancements—all of this must be halted; they expect this. In political, economic, and overall national strategies, they want complete submission. They say, "Submit to us completely"; the same situation that some governments have, which you see and know; their wealth is at their disposal, their dignity is in their hands, their policies are following them; this is what they want. Well, it is clear that the Islamic system, Islamic pride, and the great and historical Islamic nation will never submit to such tyranny. This is the discussion of sanctions.

Of course, yes, sanctions harm the country's economy; there is no doubt about this, there is no doubt; that is, part of the economic problems arises from the sanctions; there is no doubt about this; but there is a point alongside this, and that is that these very sanctions lead to the flourishing of talents within the country, these very sanctions bring out the capacities of the country. Today, many of the things we had to obtain at great cost from foreign governments—some of them enemies—we produce domestically; why? Because we were forced to; they did not sell to us, they closed the way, we turned to ourselves, we grew within ourselves. Our youth and scholars were able to produce the equipment that they used to sell to us at a high price, at a low price domestically. A lively nation is like this; a lively nation creates opportunities from the enmity of the enemy.

This is our constant advice to our dear youth, to our esteemed officials, to our brave and devout men and women: create opportunities from the enmity of the enemy. Now, one example of this is the issue of armaments and advancements in armaments; it astonished the enemies that Iran could produce advanced weapons, even in such quantities, amidst sanctions! Yes, it can; it can do even more, it can do better, God willing, it can advance even further. It is not just weapons; now, weapons have shown themselves in one place. In many areas, it is the same; today, in the medical field, amidst all the difficulties that exist, with all the sanctions, we are among the pioneers. Our medical field in our region may have no equal, and our medicine is among the prominent cases in the world. It is the same in industrial fields, in various engineering sectors. In some areas, of course, we are lagging; if we strive, we will progress in all areas.

Now, the enemy sanctions us under the pretext of terrorism and similar issues; these sanctions are gradually losing their effect; they have sanctioned us for several years and have seen that it is ineffective. Credible global sources say that Iran's gross domestic product growth this year is greater than last year; well, why is it greater? Because they are working more, because they are working better, because the sanctions do not bring them down, because they do not rely on help from outside the country and beyond the borders. This must be strengthened; this spirit must be increased in the country.

Do not pay attention to the statements they make, saying, "You support terrorism." They call the resistance front terrorism! They say, "Why do you support Palestine?" Today, all the world supports Palestine; in the streets of European countries, in the streets of Washington and New York, people are marching in support of Palestine and chanting for Palestine; it is not just us. [They say] "Why do you support Hezbollah?" They showed a case where the Hezbollah flag was raised in one of the streets of one of the cities in America; people around the world are supporting them; these are the resistors, these are the proud ones, these are against oppression. A Palestinian is defending their home; a home that has been usurped, a home that has been forcibly taken from them. A settler, with the support of the wicked police of the Zionist regime, comes to the garden of the person, to the farm of the person, to the residential house of the person, and flattens it with a bulldozer to build a settlement there, while the Palestinian is defending their home; is he a terrorist? Is the resistance front a terrorist? The terrorist is the one who bombards them, in this catastrophe they have created; of course, they have not achieved anything and will not achieve anything.

In any case, let it be clear to our nation—and it is clear to the nation—that enmity towards the Iranian nation is not due to these issues they mention and the lies they concoct; enmity is because Iran is an independent country, does not submit to them, does not accept their tyranny, and is not willing to follow the policies of this or that, especially the failed policies. Today, these so-called prominent powers of the world admit that they are in a state of defeat. I saw a report from one of the American magazines—just a few days ago—that says the credibility that America has gained over two hundred years is being lost in twenty years. They themselves say this; a reputable American magazine writes this; we are not saying it. Now, this backward, failed, and contrary to human nature and all divine and human values policy expects an independent nation like Iran—a nation with history, roots, and civilization—to follow its policies! Well, it is clear that this cannot happen.

The Iranian nation stands firm and strong. And this firmness must be demonstrated in action, in work, in the pursuit of knowledge, in research, and in our national unity. If this happens, then the hardships and difficulties will also present us with openings. The imposed hardship—the hardship that the enemy imposes—contains opportunities and openings within itself; provided that we do not become lazy, provided that we do not become negligent. Thanks be to God, the nation is alive, and there is a capacity for being more alive in our country; if God willing, we move forward in this direction, with divine grace, a bright future is attainable, and the Iranian nation will, God willing, reach it.

We hope that God preserves you, the Iranian nation, and all the faithful working community, grants you victory over your enemies, and makes the souls of the martyrs pleased with us.

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