Statements of the Supreme Leader of the Revolution in Meeting with a Large Group of Workers and Entrepreneurs

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

Welcome, dear brothers and sisters; exemplary workers, representatives of labor communities, and officials of the relevant public sector! Certainly, a meeting composed of men and women whose endeavor and slogan is work is among the most beloved gatherings in the presence of God, the Exalted. Work and labor hold a high rank in our Quranic and Islamic literature. Of course, work is not limited to factories, farms, or other sectors; however, righteous deeds, which are emphasized in the Quran, also include these. That is, when you perform a task with a sense of work ethic, with a sense of responsibility, with seriousness and effort, with innovation, and with the aim of managing the life of a household, this itself is a righteous deed - "except for those who believe and do righteous deeds" - righteous deeds include these as well; what could be better than this? What could be better than a person being engaged in a business that their livelihood depends on it; at the same time, this work is a righteous deed that is equated with faith in the Quran; "believe and do righteous deeds"? This is what is meant by the value of work.

The fact that in the Islamic community, Islamic officials express admiration and respect for work and workers is not mere rhetoric; it is not flattery. Yes, there are those in the world who may verbally praise workers; however, there is a difference between someone who wants to shout slogans to attract the attention of a crowd and someone who truly values work as a righteous deed with spiritual and divine significance. The logic of Islam is the latter; that is, the worker is in a state of worship; their work is worship.

The secret of the value of a worker in a society, in addition to this divine, Islamic, and spiritual meaning, is also rooted in another very important matter, which is that the independence of a country depends on work. No country or nation will reach anywhere through idleness, laziness, and disregard for work. They may have income from a divine or non-divine source - like oil - and superficially lead a comfortable life, while foreign products fill their living space; however, they will not have independence. The dignity of a nation that possesses independence will not be achieved except through work. This is the value of work. We view the worker through this lens; we consider kissing the hand of a worker to be a virtuous act. Anyone who kisses a worker's hand has performed a correct and righteous action; because they have honored a means for the independence of their nation and country. Work holds such value.

Our workers' community has another advantage that is not found in most countries - perhaps it has existed in some other places, but we are not aware; however, we have witnessed this in our own country - and that is that our workers' community demonstrated, during the great test of the Revolution and the Sacred Defense era, that they possess a deep religious and national conscience; they showed that if they are not ahead of other classes in the country - which is highly likely that they are ahead - at least they are in the front lines. During the Revolution, workers played a significant role. Especially during the Sacred Defense era, workers from all over the country supported this great test of the Iranian nation in various ways; they dedicated their lives, bodies, and work to the Sacred Defense and proved their sincerity and purity. This is another advantage of our workers' community.

These are facts. Rhetoric and wordplay belong to those who do not believe in these truths. The Iranian nation must appreciate its workers' community. We must, in our religious and social concepts, regard the term "worker" with sanctity. The worker has a sanctity. The worker is someone who works to achieve the dignity of independence for their nation and country. This must become a firm belief for all of us. Everyone must understand how important the worker is. This title "worker" includes all those who are working for the advancement of the country, for the development of production in the country, for improving the working conditions in the country. This is one matter regarding the importance of work and the dignity of the worker.

Another matter is the responsibilities that the officials of the country have towards workers; as the honorable minister pointed out. These responsibilities are diverse. Fortunately, one can see and feel that this government is a government of work; the main elements of the government, in the true sense of the word, are working; they are constantly busy, working, and showing activity; they are engaged in important and valuable tasks. One of these responsibilities is to seek out and resolve the problems of the workers' community in the country. One of these problems is certainly the existence of unemployment and lack of employment. Promoting employment and encouraging entrepreneurs and creating job opportunities is also one of these necessary tasks. This shows a correlation in the logic of the Islamic Republic. In the logic of materialistic countries, it is not like this. In the logic of capitalist countries, the worker is a tool; a means in the service of the employer. In the logic of those decayed and destroyed schools that claimed to support workers, there was a conflict between employers and workers. It was from this conflict that those systems wanted to benefit and called themselves defenders of workers. At that time, in the so-called socialist system of the former Soviet Union, the same capitalist system, the same extravagances, the same various financial corruptions existed in the name of workers and in the name of defending the working class. Their logic was one of contradiction and conflict. Islam and the Islamic system and the Islamic Republic do not accept either of these two paths; they believe that these two factors, namely the factor of entrepreneurship and the creation of job opportunities and entrepreneurship is one arm, and the existence of the workforce is another arm. Both must exist and cooperate. The role of the government is to create a fair middle line for this cooperation; there should be no oppression. Neither should they infringe upon each other's rights, nor should either side fall short in their duties. If this is the case, then society will progress with health and purity; neither will the culture of extravagance and excess prevail, nor will the deprivation of one class become a fixed culture for that class. This is the logic of the Islamic Republic system.

Today, fortunately, there is movement and effort in our country; the collective of producers has made good efforts and progressed; but we are still at the beginning of the path. We must advance significantly, we must strive greatly. Both work ethic, diligence, and integrity in the production sector - that is, the worker and the producer of work - are necessary, and also in the government officials and official authorities, there must be the necessary care and attention to ensure that this movement is correct and balanced and takes place. And of course, as I mentioned at the beginning of my remarks, the sanctity of work and the honoring of work must be at the forefront of programs, and everyone must know this. The worker is respected. The worker, with their hands, with their minds, with their work, with their body and soul, is bringing the country to independence.

Today, the main issue of our country is independence, dear brothers and sisters! The Revolution brought us political independence; it gave this nation the courage to stand against the unjust system of domination in the world. However, if this nation wants to maintain this political independence, this cultural presence against the global arrogant powers, it must strengthen its economic foundations; this is the rooting of independence in the country; and this depends on production, on work, on the flourishing of work, on innovation in various sectors of work. From research centers and laboratories to workshops and farms, innovation must exist everywhere. Only then will the bloodthirsty and insulting enemies of the Iranian nation be silenced by their failures and will step aside.

As mentioned, the problems of the workers' community - their insurance issues, their housing issues, their communications with employers, the duties of employers towards them, their duties towards the work environment - must be pursued continuously, and the importance of work ethic and the integrity of work must be emphasized. This path is a clear path; this goal is a specific goal; this nation is also a nation of work and effort.

Our nation has shown that it does not tire from striving; and this discourages the enemies. Today, the greed and hope of the enemies of the Iranian nation - namely the arrogant American powers and the dangerous and devilish Zionist network in the world - regarding dominating the Iranian nation is much less than it was twenty years ago; because they see how energetically the Iranian nation is moving forward. Of course, the propaganda is in their hands. They themselves, with the atrocities and crimes they have committed; whether in Iraq, in Afghanistan, in Palestine, with the same atrocities they are committing these days in Iraq - killing people, hidden prisons - all these disgraceful acts that America is doing today - torture, etc. - with all of this, they shamelessly talk about human rights, they talk about democracy, and accuse the Islamic Republic of baseless claims. Well, this is propaganda. When their blade does not have sharpness in the field of action, they open their mouths; they talk, they propagate; this is due to the progress of the Iranian nation. You must continue to move forward, this nation must continue to advance. These mouths will also be silenced; God willing. God, the Exalted, has promised that a nation that seeks to achieve its ideals and strives will be granted success.

Let me say a word about the elections, which are just a few days away. These elections are very important. In the first round of elections, the Iranian nation truly made a tremendous movement. They propagated, stirred the world, perhaps hoping to make the elections lackluster, perhaps hoping to keep the Iranian nation away from the ballot boxes; the result was that the Iranian nation entered the field with more motivation and greater seriousness. This public presence greatly impacts the dignity of the brave and noble Iranian nation in the eyes of others.

Work is half done. I wish it were always the case that elections would never go to a second round, so that both the costs would double and the burdens on the people would double; however, there were many competitions, it was a tight competition; the result was that it has gone to a second round. A portion of the representatives has not yet been elected by the Iranian nation. The parliament must be completed.

Here, two matters are very important for the Iranian nation: one is the principle of presence in this field. The Iranian nation should act in a way that their unending motivation is evident to the enemy; this discourages the enemy. If the enemy suspects that they can weaken the motivation of the people through agitation and noise and propaganda, their hope increases, and their attacks become more intense. The enemy must feel that the motivation of this nation is unending, and this must be demonstrated in the second round of elections, and this, God willing, will be achieved by divine grace and the influence of God in the hearts of the people. The Iranian nation will show its enthusiasm once again.

The second point is the election of righteous representatives, or to put it more accurately, "the most righteous representatives"; those who are more righteous; those who care for the people; those who are compassionate towards the people; those who are willing to join hands with their colleagues in the government, in the judiciary, in various sectors, to work together and accomplish a great task; these are the individuals to be elected. The country will advance with unity; it will not progress with disputes and divisions. You see that a minor issue arises among officials, foreign radios interpret it, create a fuss, and rejoice; while the essence of the matter is not significant. Now, let’s assume there is a difference of opinion, a difference of perspective, a difference of interpretation between two officials or two groups of officials; this does not have much significance in the progress of work; however, the enemy wants to exploit even these minor issues. They create a fuss, rejoice, and say, and foreign radios analyze. Those who know and hear see how happy they are that a minor issue has arisen among individuals. This shows us how important the role of unity and solidarity is in the country.

This country will advance with the unity of officials, with the solidarity of officials, with the solidarity of the nation with the officials, with the great unity of the Iranian nation. All of the efforts of our great Imam (may his soul be sanctified) during those ten blessed years of his life at the head of the Islamic Republic were focused on this emphasis and this point; the unity of the people, the solidarity of the people. Today, it is the same; we must work to ensure that the officials of the country are united, that they are together, that there is no division, conflict, or bickering, and that they do not take petty grievances against one another.

Everyone must be on the same path. Thanks be to God, the nation is a united nation; the nation is vigilant. The Iranian nation is truly vigilant. In some places, we have seen and experienced that they have set aside their emotions, rendering the enemy's provocations ineffective; for the sake of preserving unity.

This workers' community of yours, we are aware that at times various provocations were made to disturb this community. The ordinary individuals of the community, the workers' community, were aware; they did not submit, they were not provoked. This is the vigilance of the Iranian nation. This is one of the greatest blessings of God.

We hope that the prayers of the Master of the Age (may our souls be sacrificed for him) and the attention of that great one will encompass you, encompass all of the Iranian nation, and that God, the Exalted, will, God willing, day by day increase the dignity of the Iranian nation and the independence of this country and increase His blessings upon the workers' community and upon all the active individuals of this country day by day.

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