A Systematic Reconstruction of the Theory of Labor in the Thought of Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Khamenei: A Signification-Oriented Approach Based on His Statements on International Workers’ Day (1989–2024)

Adopting a clear foundation regarding the nature, value, and ultimate end of "work" is a prerequisite for any theorizing and policymaking in the field of labor relations. However, labor studies in Iran have largely remained focused on legal and economic dimensions, and the "theory of work" has rarely been systematically formulated. The present article aims to systematically reconstruct the theory of work in the thought of Martyr Ayatollah Khamenei, a thinker who, for more than three decades, consistently addressed the question of work in his annual meetings with workers. The study employed an emergent "implication research" design, integrating "theoretical inference" and "implication derivation," and analyzed 85 propositions drawn from his Labor Day speeches (1989–2024 / 1368–1403 SH). The findings indicate that the theory of work in his thought is formulated along six interrelated axes:



a two-level definition of work (a general sense as "righteous deed" (ʿamal ṣāliḥ) and a specific sense as economic work);

the dignity of the worker;

the role of the institution of work in sustaining social life;

work as a public value;

the regulation of labor relations and the role of the Islamic state;

the concrete problems of work in Iran.



Within this framework, "value creation" constitutes the essence of work, "direction and purpose" its spirit, and "nearness to God" (qurb ilā Allāh) its ultimate end. The worker–employer relationship rests on the principle of "pairing and complementarity" (zawjiyya) rather than class conflict. The principal distinction of this formulation from the conventional literature lies in posing the question of work at the level of "existence" and in light of a monotheistic teleology. This formulation provides a foundation for completing the Islamic theory of social justice within the institution of work and for addressing the theoretical gap in labor laws and policies.