The debates on trade union rights in the Muslim societies have been conducted in the context of class, and the idea that a society with a class structure may not be Islamic stands out. Looking at industrial relations from an Islamic perspective, on the one hand, there are those who argue that employees and employers are equal and thus the state should be neutral in this relationship. On the other hand, there are those who accept that employees are weak and negotiable, that workers should be organized and the state should intervene in favor of the powerless.

It should be pointed out that in Muslim societies, a liberal understanding that a capitalist economic system is implemented, the market dominates, competition is unlimited, and intervention is rejected is widespread. Rather than discussing how appropriate the capitalist system is to the principles of Islam, the discussion of the trade union organization struggling against poverty and exploitation created by the non-Islamic economic system by the Muslims is a serious contradiction.

In Muslim societies, the existence of a labor legislation sufficiently protecting the workers and the widespread practices and attitudes that infringe labor rights do not emanate from the principles of Islam, but it is a preference of the ruling elite. The absence of Islamic principles in labor legislation may be attributed to the fact that many of these countries were colonized in the last century. What is more, the labor legislation of post-independence was mainly taken from the colonizing European nations without linking them to Islam (Ahmad, 2011, s. 589).

The main category in Al-Banna’s perspective on employer-employee relationship is “justice”. According to Al- Banna, the concept of justice is crystalized in the main purpose of trade unions. For him, justice represents a proactive approach to protect workers from exploitation: “All the world knows that workers are still exploited, that the conditions of work is inhumane, that trade unions were established to prevent these gross outrages and enable workers to live a decent life”. It may be noted that this perspective has a resonance of Al- Sadr’s perspective - who defines Islamic economics as Islam’s preferred approach to the pursuit of economic life and to resolve practical economic problems in line with its concept of justice. Al-Banna considers trade unions as a legitimate guardian for workers and believes that a collective contract negotiated between a trade union and an employer covers all the Islamic values, advantages and guarantees sought in such a contract (Syed, 2008, s. 422). In this respect, it is a right for the exploited to react and the workers cannot be condemned because of the organization.

Islam may recognize the right to strike as a way of eliminating injustice with certain limits and does not tolerate those who transgress these limits (02: 190) (Ahmad, 2011, s.606). It should be the main duty of the state to ensure that workers and employers parties negotiate on equal terms. This obligation may not be realized only by making legal arrangements, it is necessary to give the parties the opportunities to defend their rights.

The primary aim of both Islam and Trade Unions is Justice. Labor contracts must comply with Islamic values. When it comes to employee-employer relationships, it is a fact that although having legal equality, employees and employers are not equal in terms of bargaining power, most of the time the employees have no other choice but to accept the conditions imposed by the employers due to limited and even a dearth of opportunities. Considering these facts, a detailed analysis of the organization of workers, collective bargaining and the right to strike in Islamic societies must be addressed. In Islamic countries, trade union rights have not been sufficiently effective, especially due to the late industrialization, the failure to break the chain of economic backwardness, the exploitation of natural resources and the establishment of authoritarian regimes. 

For this reason, income inequality has increased among Muslims, poverty has become widespread, conflicts have increased, and power has been taken without elections by small groups such as families and non-democratic leaders. A new and just social order must be established for the new generations with liberated ideas and conscience, who refuse to serve to those but Allah. To establish democracy in capitalist systems and to achieve social justice in working life, it is necessary to have trade unions, collective bargaining and strikes rights.