Islam Protects Workers’ Rights

Workers

The turn of the new age gave birth to the rise of civil rights  activism. People began to speak out against practices they felt were unfair. 

One aspect of human endeavor that got and is still getting arguably the most mentioning was and remains workers’ rights. 

Workers across the globe demand for rights they believe would make their jobs more humane, these demands might vary with region and political setup but, one demand remains constant the world over; non delay of workers’ wages.

Some parts of the world have overcome this problem even though the civil rights activists in these regions still have to keep on their toes to make sure that these rights are upheld. A great percentage of the world’s regions still battle with the phenomenon of the withholding or delaying workers wages.

It is some sort a lighter issue if workers wages are delayed or withheld by private outfits but is disaster if governments themselves are the ones guilty of this crime. 

Nigerian Case

Data on all countries on this menace might not be readily available but, for a country like Nigeria, federal, state and local governments almost never see it as a crime as they unfortunately are the worst culprits.

Workers in Nigeria are owed for as much as over a year. According to a civic tech company, BudgIT, which released its findings on a survey on workers’ rights in Nigeria on June 7 2017, they stated that “across all categories, states like Kogi, Abia, Benue, Oyo, Ekiti and Ondo have not paid their workers’ salaries for this year 2017; owing at least 4 months’ salary” . 

A state such as Kogi state is arguably the most notorious of all going for as much as 40 months without paying workers wages.

Delaying wages is enough crime, withholding workers salaries in entirety is pure evil. Between 2002 and 2004 in Nigeria, workers of the now defunct Nigeria Airways were not paid salaries for 24 months. It took the frantic and concerted efforts of Labour and Trade unions both domestically and internationally to wrestle the wages out of the government’s pocket.

What Islam Says

On the delay of workers’ wages, Abdullah ibn Umar narrated that the Prophet (SAW) said: “Pay the laborer his wages before his sweat dries.” 

‘Before his sweat dries’ as used in this hadith does not mean an employer must use a labourer UNTIL he sweats, it simply means there should be no delay in payment once the task has been completed.

What about those who refuse to pay in entirety?

The Prophet (SAW) said, "Allah said, 'I will be an opponent to three types of people on the Day of Resurrection: One who makes a covenant in My Name, but proves treacherous, one who captures a free person, sells him and eats his price and one who employs a laborer and takes full work from him but does not pay him for his labour”. [Sahih Bukhari - Book 36, Hadith 470]

In Islamic belief, if it is said that either ALLAH (SWT) or Muhammad (SAW) will be an opponent to a person on the Day of Judgment, it is just a euphemism for saying that person will burn in Hell. Islam promises Hell to those employers, corporations or individuals, who delay or withhold the wages of workers.

Another form of violation of workers’ rights is-keeping workers in the dark as regards what their wages will be in order to get more labour from them for less pay. 

Abu Sa‘eed Al-Khudri narrated that the Prophet (SAW) said: “Whoever employs someone to work for him, he must specify for him his wage in advance.” [Musannaf ‘Abdur-Razzaaq]

When workers retire from service, they are still entitled to sustenance from their respective governments; this is to ensure that they do not become a liability for the coming generations. This sustenance they receive is universally referred to as ‘Pension’.

Across the world and Africa in-particular, thousands, if not millions of senior citizens have and are being denied their rights to pension. Countless senior citizens have died without receiving a dime in pension. Still citing references from my country, Nigeria, there is always an unending war between pensioners and government arms.

From the survey carried out by BudgIT, it was discovered that asides the fact that 16 states were yet to pay the pensions of former civil servants in their services, 8 of these states had not paid their pensioners in at least 12 months while states like Imo, Taraba and Niger owed pensions of about 2 to 3 years.

Islam and Pension

Even though the global society has refused to praise Islam for introducing the concept of Pension, it still remains an indisputable fact as it is historically documented that Islam established the world’s first welfare state. The concepts of welfare and pension were introduced in early Islamic law as forms of Zakat (charity), one of the Five Pillars of Islam, under the Rashidun Caliphate of Umar ibn Khattab in the 7th century.

Abu Bakr Siddique, the first caliph of Islam, stated in his treaty with the non-Muslim residents of the Islamic state, "And I have granted the right that if an old person becomes incapable of working or is suffering from ill health or is a destitute after being rich, so much so that his coreligionists start giving him alms, then his jizyah will be remitted; he and his family will receive the allowance for maintenance from public treasury as long as he lives in the Islamic State". 

This was also exemplified by the second caliph, Umar bin Khattab, during his reign. Umar was moving along with his aides when they came across two lepers who were begging along the road. He was moved by this and asked those with him who the beggars were after which he was informed that they were Jews who could no longer work because of the advanced state of their illness. Umar ordered for them to be put on monthly stipends from the state treasury.

Another lesson that could be learnt from this is that every member of an Islamic state is entitled to the benefits of the welfare state irrespective of race and religion.

20th February every year is celebrated by the United Nations as World Day of Social Justice. The theme for 2020 is “Closing the Inequalities Gap to Achieve Social Justice”

Historian, Robert Paxton, observes that on the European continent, the provisions of the welfare state were originally enacted by conservatives in the late nineteenth century and by fascists in the twentieth in order to distract workers from unions and socialism, and were opposed by leftists and radicals.

Muslims began receiving pensions over 1,250 years before Europeans. It might be observed that so many Muslim communities do not live up to these standards, this is chiefly due to the fact that this nations are ruled or governed by western imposed and guided laws; not Shari’ah law.