Shadow Empire

Chapter 1230 Demonstration
In May, the weather in the Federation finally returned to temperatures of 10 or 20 degrees Celsius, the most pleasant season of the year. The wind, carrying a slight hint of the passing winter, and radiating the brilliance of life, seemed to cleanse one's body and soul.

People have also taken off their thick coats, and pedestrians on the street are walking much more easily.

Over the course of the past month, Lance and several mayors in South Yaan State consulted and ultimately decided to locate his plan in Scheer, a coastal city not far from the capital.

East of Scheer lies the starting point of a famous rift valley in the west, offering spectacular scenery and making it a good location for tourism development.

The mayor of Sher City also offered Lance very favorable terms. With the preferential policies offered by the joint governor, Lance only needed to spend "one dollar" to draw a circle on a map with a pen.

Such a "location" was only seen in the very early years of the Federation's history. Of course, behind the almost free gift, Lance also wanted to provide more job opportunities.

The people of Sher were delighted with the arrival of the Wanli Group, as it meant they had more job options.

People all hope to find a job that suits them and then stay in that job for life.

In some ways, humans, especially those at the bottom of society, are truly the capitalists' favorites—the hardworking and dutiful animals on farms know to lie down and not move when they're tired, and even if they're whipped, they only moo.

These workers only know how to work tirelessly, contributing economic value to the capitalists while leaving the pain to themselves.

All in all, this is a good thing.

To better oversee the entire project, Lance also bought a manor here.

The people of the Commonwealth love to build estates, especially the former large landowners. They are used to building big houses, and they would feel cramped living in small houses in the city, or even large villas.

Only large farms and estates could meet their requirements for housing.

As times continue to move forward, some of the former landlords have evolved into capitalists and tycoons, who are clearly better off in this era.

However, some people chose the wrong side or made the wrong bet in the course of the times and had to face bankruptcy.

The assets of these large families after their bankruptcy are not easy to handle. The local wealthy and big capitalists who can afford their assets are not willing to spend money to buy their houses.

Those who want to buy their properties often can't afford them.

After all, it's not a detached house or a villa, it's an estate, which costs a lot of money.

Therefore, such resources are basically available in every city, ready to be sold anytime and anywhere.

On the way back, as the car was about to enter the manor's internal roads, Lance saw a large number of people marching and demonstrating outside the manor.

As the convoy approached, those who had been merely observing immediately raised their placards, shouting angrily at the convoy.

The car was very well soundproofed; Lance could only see their mouths opening and closing, but he couldn't hear what they were saying.

Looking at these people who clearly differed from the Federation people, Lance could tell at a glance that they were local natives.

The convoy returned to the estate amidst their dissatisfied and angry shouts.

After getting out of the car, Lance asked, "What's going on with these people?"

He already had a guess in his mind, but he still wanted to ask.

Irwin came over and explained, "They are all Native Americans living in the state protected area. Because the governor issued another license, so..."

Opening a casino requires a license, a special operating permit issued by the federal government. Only with this license can Lance legally operate his casino here.

This will undoubtedly affect the interests of the local indigenous people.

The federal government designated protected areas for them, but also restricted their development. In the mindset of every politician in the federal government over the years, the idea was that indigenous people could practice slash-and-burn agriculture, but were not allowed to develop further.

It is definitely not a good thing for the federal government if a group that has been slaughtered to the point of needing legislative protection also begins to "progress".

Casinos, prostitutes, thugs, charlatans—these are the main sources of income for the natives.

Among these, casinos are of paramount importance.

All you need is a table and a few decks of cards to earn ten or even several tens of dollars a day. Many locals choose to make money this way.

Although the indigenous people are natives, it doesn't mean they can't accept some new things. They have also been to Estrella (Paradise City, a city in the northwest).

The entire state's gambling population was drawn to Paradise City, leaving the local indigenous casinos almost deserted.

On one side is a lavishly decorated casino, offering free food and drinks, as well as free shows and various games.

On one side is a dilapidated wooden house in the countryside, with a creaking gambling table and a strangely smelly environment.

Not only are there no free food, drinks, or performances, but there's also no guarantee of safety.

Gamblers are just gamblers, not stupid dogs. They know how to choose the environment that is most advantageous to them when they enter the game.

So after the governor obtained the license, all the indigenous people who ran casinos in the entire South Yaan state realized that a crisis had arisen.

A small group of indigenous people who lived nearby gathered around, knowing that this approach might not be effective, but it was certainly better than doing nothing.

"Should we arrange for someone to expel them?" Erwin asked.

Lance shook his head, stopped and looked at Erwin. "No need. Their protests won't change anything. You need to understand that in the Federation, if you want to protect your most basic human rights, you first have to be a voter!"

“Under federal law, Indigenous peoples do not have the right to vote, so their marches and demonstrations are ultimately just marches and demonstrations.”

This is different from the marches and demonstrations of the working class, because workers generally have stable incomes, are native-born, and many own their own apartments, which gives them the right to vote.

Their marches and demonstrations are not just marches and demonstrations, but also protests by the votes cast. If politicians do not want to lose these votes, they must respect some of their opinions.

More than that, Lance was concerned about what would happen after the labor service company came in.

He returned to the side hall, where the people who were already waiting for him immediately stood up to greet him. He gestured for them to sit down, then walked to the sofa and sat down. "How is our work progressing?"

Unlike Lance's other potentially shady businesses, the labor service company is a company with immense political potential. Therefore, apart from the fact that Lance owns the shares, all the managers in this company are professional managers.

This position requires highly professional industry insiders; others might not be able to handle it. Lans personally oversees the labor service company in Jin Gang City, but not here.

He can't stay here forever.

The manager of this company was poached by Lance, and his background is rather interesting.

He used to be a high-ranking member of the industry union, but was ousted due to some internal conflicts. When Lance was looking for a suitable replacement, Ms. Debbie (head of the textile industry office of the Golden Harbor Labor Federation) recommended this man to him.

In the past two years, the Labour Federation has faced a series of internal problems due to its successful establishment of the Labour Party.

In reality, this was a calculated move by the federal government, giving them everything they wanted: to establish a political party, to have Senate seats, and to have everything a normal political organization could have.

These measures may seem like a boost and a step forward for labor federations and industry unions, but in reality they are dividing them internally.

Now politicians are politicians, worker representatives are worker representatives, and workers are workers.

If Labour politicians want to gain more political advantage, they cannot possibly stand entirely on the side of the workers.

The Labour Federation and unions have already fallen out with the Labour Party over these issues.

Furthermore, since working-class workers have not found that the Labour Party, which they supported, has brought any positive changes to their work and lives, their support for the Labour Party is now declining.

In order to ensure ideological unity, the top leadership of the Federation of Labour and the Labour Party have begun a round of "gentle purges" within the Federation and the General Union of Trade Unions.

They've ousted those with strong dissenting views, which has already disappointed many. If the Labour Party is to side with the workers, then there's no doubt they'll be cut off from political donations and political consensus.

The capitalists' purpose in investing in political parties is, frankly speaking, to make political power serve them, to make politicians serve them, and even to profit from it.

They invest money in the Labour Party, and then the Labour Party uses that money to organize worker marches and negotiations between workers and capital.

Isn't this like stabbing yourself in the back?
Without investment from capitalists, the Labour Party, given its current size, would find it difficult to sustain the operation of its entire organizational structure.

After all, the Labour Federation and industry unions can be seen as the "working class," but they are not an organization, and they are unlikely to hand over their money to the Labour Party.

Therefore, there is a difficult contradiction to reconcile. The Labour Party members once thought that as long as they formed a political party, they could use the workers to go further.

However, judging from the facts, although the Labour Party was formed, they not only failed to take off, but even walking became difficult for them.

Some advanced analytical institutions believe that only a few "key events" are needed to push for the dissolution of the Labour Party.

The new manager was ousted under such circumstances. He and Ms. Debbie were friends and had known each other for many years. When Lance wanted to find someone "familiar with managing workers," Ms. Debbie recommended this manager.

In his fifties, having been unemployed for over a year, he was at a time when he needed money most and was in a very awkward position.

He has difficulty finding suitable work, and the jobs he can find don't offer him satisfactory pay. It's practically impossible for someone like him to return to the assembly line, so he can only awkwardly endure the situation.

Fortunately, Lance took a liking to him and gave him the opportunity to demonstrate his abilities.

"How's our company setup going?" Lance asked, looking at him.

Ben, the manager's name, immediately stood up. "We've completed the company registration and chosen a location..."

Lance raised his hand again and gestured for him to sit down and talk. "We don't need to be so formal."

Ben sat down and smiled. Actually, he wasn't stupid; of course he knew. But sometimes knowing and doing are two different things.

Just like how superiors always tell subordinates not to flatter them, but how many people actually dislike being flattered?

In a sense, flattery is simply an expression of strong affirmation, much like the powerful progression from "You did a good job" to "Nobody could have done better than you."

Everyone likes to be affirmed, whether they are good, bad, or mediocre.

His cautious behavior was also a strategy, since he didn't have any real foothold here yet.

After listening to his report on some of the work, Lance nodded and asked, "So, did we encounter any problems during the qualification process?"

After some consideration, I learned that "some local unions are very opposed to our approach, and I heard they are planning to have the state union or labor federation coordinate with us."

“I heard, just heard, from a friend of mine who works here, that the construction workers’ union is putting on a demonstration and that they are demanding that all workers not register with our company.”

Lance's numerous projects will undoubtedly require a large number of construction workers, but labor companies do not accept unionized workers for registration, forcing them to choose between two options.

Either don't come to work here and retain your union membership.

Alternatively, they could leave the union and register with Lance's company.

This was tantamount to a heavy blow to the union. Lance was well aware that the construction workers' union would definitely cause trouble, but how they planned to cause trouble and to what extent remained to be assessed.

Lance asked, "How many people do you think we can attract?"

Ben always carefully considers his answers before responding to questions, and he answers very seriously. "If we continue to use the wage levels in the eastern region, I believe everyone will be tempted."

Construction workers in Scheer, and indeed throughout the state, earn a few dollars less than those in the eastern region, and even less when benefits are included.

For the workers, a few extra dollars a month, plus some benefits, may not significantly improve their lives, but at least make life a little easier than before.

Money was still valuable at that time, and even an extra five yuan a month was very tempting for the workers.

"This means that we may have more intense disagreements or conflicts with the construction union."

Ben pursed his lips. "Obviously, that's the case."

“If a large number of workers leave the union, it will definitely be a heavy blow to the construction workers’ union, as they will lose their voice in the industry.”

"You know, Mr. Lance, for unions, having a voice in the industry is their core interest!"

“The workers they have are their bargaining chips for setting industry rules and negotiating with capital. Without these, they are nothing.”

This tactic is quite common. Unions come up with all sorts of weird "ideas" every now and then. For example, in the early days, federal workers typically worked twelve hours or more.

Then some unions suddenly argued that high-intensity, long working hours were a cruel form of torture for workers, and they advocated that each worker should only work ten hours a day.

This immediately sparked strong opposition from capitalists. After strikes, negotiations, and some benefits were gained, it was finally ensured that workers would not work more than twelve hours a day.

The cost they can use to negotiate with capitalists is the sheer number of workers they control.

It may seem that these proposals are all for the benefit of the working class, and that they themselves do not gain any benefit, but that is not actually the case.

Capitalists spend money to hire public relations teams to lobby these union leaders to make appropriate concessions. In this process, the union leaders, including the "representatives" of the labor federation, all benefited to varying degrees.

This is indeed speaking up for the workers, but in reality, it's also for their own benefit. By making rules, pushing for legislation, and rewriting industry standards, they continuously extract benefits from capitalists.

The workers were unaware of these things, and they did indeed receive some benefits, so they thought the union was a good organization.

Only a few people understand that, in reality, there is no difference between labor unions, capitalists, and enterprises.

Those union leaders who wear suits that cost a few hundred yuan, you call them worker representatives, but they probably have never even been to a factory.

So they will definitely "fight" with Lance over this, just like what happened in Golden City. They will organize a big march and a big strike.

Lance looked at Ben. "What are your thoughts?"

As a former high-ranking member of the industry union, he knew very well what the union wanted and what it feared.

“Mr. Lance, I suggest using some… gray forces to suppress them at the very beginning of a major strike or demonstration, so as not to let the situation escalate further.”

Lance gave a half-smile. "Why do you say that?"

Ben organized his thoughts: "All the union leaders are interconnected. Once a large-scale demonstration breaks out and is not quelled, other industry unions that may have conflicts or disagreements with local capitalists will immediately join in."

"The slogan of 'great unity' that the labor federation shouted out has set the direction for every action of the union."

“More unions and workers will join in, forcing the authorities and the capitalists to bow down. If you don’t bow down, other capitalist forces will unite to make you bow down. This is their usual tactic.”

"The best approach is to extinguish the tornado as soon as it begins to form, without giving them a chance to unite or allow it to grow into a storm!"

He spoke with absolute certainty, sharing his experiences and insights gained from working in the trade union over the years.

He felt no remorse whatsoever; after all, he also needed to make a living and wanted to live a comfortable life.

He used to be someone who gained a comfortable life by stepping on the heads of workers. Now he's just working in a different place, but the essence of his work hasn't changed. He still improves his quality of life by stepping on the heads of workers.

What the hell is there to be ashamed of?
He'll only feel ashamed of not earning enough, not ashamed of being about to become rich!

(End of this chapter)