One of the issues regarding laborers is the relationships that exist between them and their employers. In Islam, these relationships are different from the relationships between laborers and employers in materialistic schools of thought. Capitalism, one of these materialistic schools, fully supports the capitalist and regards the laborer as a tool. Communism, another materialistic school, considered itself as the supporter of laborers and claimed that it would build a paradise in this world for laborers. But its performance showed that it could only fuel the fire of the hell that dominated the lives of not only laborers, but also the lives of other people in communist societies. In both systems – both capitalism and communism – the relationship between the laborer and the employer is a hostile relationship.
In capitalism, this relationship is based on exploitation and exerting pressures. In communism, the employer has been pictured as the manifestation of satan and as a monster. The reason was that the leaders of this school wanted to give the control of all production resources and factories to the government. They wanted to be the big employer. They implemented this plan, but the same plan destroyed them. It completely destroyed themselves and their people.
This is not the same in Islam. In Islam, the relationship between the laborer and the employer is not like the relationship between two enemies. It is like the relationship between two colleagues. The relationship is not based on exploitation. That is to say, the employer is not the sultan of the laborer. In western capitalism, the employer is the owner of everything. He may grant the laborer some concessions so that he does not lose his labor. But the relationship is based on exploitation. The laborer is like a tool. The employer does not regard the laborer as a human being. He regards him as a machine.
Islam vigorously condemns this. The laborer and the employer are two vital elements. In the absence of either of them, no work will be carried out. The laborer is the person who directly makes a product. The employer is the person who prepares the ground for production. The laborer is the one who makes the product and the employer is the one who provides the resources. The employer is the entrepreneur. In the absence of the laborer or the employer, there will be problems in production. They are like two partners and two soldiers who are in the same trench. This is the viewpoint of Islam.
Both of them should have sincerity and they should show kindness towards one another. Both the employer and the laborer should show these qualities to one another. They should respect one another’s rights. If they do this – this is the viewpoint of Islam – the dignity of the investor, the entrepreneur and the employer and the dignity of the laborer – who is the person that makes the product and that is present on the scene – will be preserved. In this way, the dignity and the rights of each will be protected and our country will move towards achieving glory.
This is the proper kind of relationship between the laborer and the employer. Laborers should appreciate the value of employers, and employers should appreciate the value of laborers. They should be like two soldiers in a trench. If either of them is harmed, the other one will be harmed too. This is the important point. Developing such a relationship is the duty of the officials of our country, whether the officials who are in charge of making laws or the officials who are in charge of implementing these laws. This is a point which should be taken into consideration.
(Ayatollah Khamenei’s speech to laborers -26/04/2006)