Imam Khamenei stated that the purpose of the annual meeting with workers is to highlight their value in society, adding that work equates to the life of a society since it provides all the needs and requirements of the people and the country.
"Work is what keeps a society alive. Work is the backbone of people's lives. Without work there is nothing. The food we eat, the clothes we wear, and the facilities we use that our lives depend on, all of these are the products of work. Who does this work? Workers. So, what is the value of a worker? The value of a worker is equal to the value of a society’s existence. They are equal to the value of people’s lives," he said.
The Leader considered it important to understand labor work and workers in order to make an effort to produce real and useful work. "The country's and society's vital need for work, a worker's need for work in order to manage his/her life, the spiritual need of a person for work and the completely tangible effect of work in eliminating and preventing the occurrence of all kinds of corruption demonstrate the great importance of planning, investing, and taking action to produce work and genuine employment."
During this meeting, Imam Khamenei described the 14 thousand martyrs which belonged to the workers community as 14 thousand flags of honor in the hands of workers. "The most important sign of the worker community’s loyalty to the system is their intelligent manner of conduct in the past few decades. [For example,] they thwarted the efforts of certain groups to cripple the establishment in the beginning of the Revolution by closing down their workshops, and they also wisely stood up to the widespread propaganda of foreign ill-wishers which aimed to put the working community against the government," he stated.
The Leader of the Islamic Revolution described the vigilance and invulnerability of the workers to the provocations of foreigners as “the great jihad of the workers community.” He emphasized that, “Up until today, they have not been able to put the workers community against the government, and by the power of God, they will not be able to do the same from here on."
Imam Khamenei acknowledged that there were some rightful protests in the workers community, saying, "Fortunately, in all cases of protests, the workers community did not allow the ill-wishers to abuse the protests and gatherings by drawing the line against the enemy and emphasizing companionship and friendship with the government."
Citing verses from the Holy Quran, he said there should be a direct relationship between work and income and highlighted the necessity of creating a culture in this regard.
“From the point of view of Islam, income should come from hard work and effort. Therefore, unearned, easy money and wealth, middlemanship, bribery, profiteering due to connection with a certain person, and usury are against the Quranic logic and God’s order," he explained.
According to the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, not having the courage to fight against the corruption inside the country will also take away the courage to fight the bullying of the enemy outside the country.
"For example, if an official does not have the courage to confront the abusers of business or bank credits and does not confront the major bank debtors, he/she will likewise not have the courage to confront the demands of a tyrannical government like the US."
Imam Khamenei also argued that improving the workers’ livelihood and job security will in turn increase the quality of work and products, and therefore, any effort in this line is indeed an investment for more profits.
He called empowering workers a “duty” and referred to the hadith: “Oppressing the worker is the cause of the destruction of all the good deeds and making the scent of heaven haram (forbidden) for the oppressor.”
He then hastened to add, “Oppressing the worker is not limited to not paying wages, but not taking action regarding their insurance, health, education, initiative, skill development, family health, and job security are also oppression of workers.”
At the beginning of the meeting, Iran’s Minister of Cooperatives, Labor, and Social Welfare, Solat Mortazavi presented a report on the activities of the ministry.
