Shadow Empire

Chapter 797 Empty Hands
Jingang City has encountered some problems recently for various trade unions.

Some new factories are in contact with Wanli Labor Service Company in Lans. Now everyone in Jingang City knows that the labor force exported by this company is a little cheaper than that of the locals, with a difference of about one or two yuan.

Don't underestimate the difference of one or two dollars. If you have 2,000 employees, each of them will get 1.5 yuan less in salary every month, which means 3,000 yuan for 2,000 people.

If three thousand yuan is not enough to sway a company with two thousand employees, then most of these special employees of Lance are illegal immigrants.

what does this mean?
This means that companies that employ workers are no longer required to purchase commercial insurance for their workers or pay for medical expenses and follow-up costs for workers who are injured at work, as stipulated in the Workers Insurance Act introduced by the federal government in 1009.

The law stipulates that payment should be made in different levels according to the nature of the job, such as low-risk jobs, medium-risk jobs, high-risk jobs and particularly dangerous jobs. For example, workers engaged in production in factories are at least in medium-risk jobs.

According to legal requirements, people who employ them only need to pay about 2% of their monthly income for commercial insurance, which varies according to local laws.

Currently, the upper limit of compensation for mainstream commercial work-related injury insurance is one thousand yuan, and the capitalists have to bear the excess themselves.

Taking a monthly income of 48 yuan as an example, then you will have to spend an additional 2,000 yuan each month, and you will also have to bear some excess risk of work-related injuries.

The conflict and confrontation between capitalists and workers have always existed. With the introduction of various laws to protect workers, the situation between labor and capital is undergoing some changes to a certain extent.

Some workers and even professional gangs began to appear frequently, taking advantage of work-related injuries to blackmail capitalists.

At first they went looking for jobs in factories that didn't provide insurance for their workers. They pretended to accidentally lose a toe or a finger, and then used this as an excuse to extort hundreds or thousands of dollars from the capitalists.

Later on, they would use some methods to form an intermediary-like structure, purchasing people from poor areas, such as Yalan, and then throwing them into factories to create various accidents.

Similar situations occurred in many factories, some of which resulted in the death of several people, and the capitalists paid a large sum of money in compensation.

In some cases, even commercial insurance is useless because these people are so ruthless that they aim to kill people.

So now there are still more intense conflicts between labor and capital.

Moreover, workers' unions and labor federations also play a less glorious role in this. They often provide legal and moral assistance to some extortion groups without considering the cause and effect, that is, they provide strikes, marches and demonstrations and other services to obtain economic or political benefits.

The capitalists are also very depressed, and ordinary workers are also depressed. It seems that both the capitalists and the workers who really want to work have become victims.

This situation would have continued if nothing else happened, but the accident happened - Lance's labor company.

Capitalists do not need to bear additional work-related injury expenses. Lans's labor company has solved the problem of work-related injuries. For capitalists who need a large number of workers, it is not just a simple matter of saving more than two dollars in wages for each person, but also reduces a big trouble.

Being blackmailed would cost more than a few hundred or a few thousand yuan, so now the factories in the new industrial zone are in contact with Lance's labor service company and directly contracting the jobs to Lance's company. The cooperation among everyone is actually quite good.

Although no one has tried to use work-related injuries to blackmail the factory or Lance's company, everyone knows one thing.

That is, if they really did it on purpose, Lance would not only not give them money, but would also kill them all!
So now the labor service company business is booming.

This just offended the workers' union, because Lance's group were not union members, did not pay any dues to the union, and would not be manipulated by them.

They didn't even have a chance to organize a strike because those people wouldn't listen to them!

So the industry union here immediately found the higher-level labor federation and asked them to help solve the problem, which led to today's meeting.

"Who are these two?" Lance's gaze passed over Ms. Debbie and stopped at the two people beside her.

Debbie immediately turned aside and introduced Lance, "This is Mr. Gebrus, and this is Mr. Wood."

As Lance shook hands with them, Debbie continued to introduce him in detail, "Mr. Gebrus is the vice president of the Likalai State Labor Union. He is mainly responsible for the daily work of the Likalai State Labor Union."

"Mr. Wood is our consultant. He knows a lot and has a deep understanding of various industries."

Lance invited them to sit down and asked Ennio to serve everyone another cup of coffee and some pastries.

After everyone was seated, Lance asked with a smile, "I have been very busy lately, so I may have neglected you. I apologize in advance."

"Let's cut out the unnecessary small talk and flattery and get straight to the point."

"Ms. Debbie, Mr. Gebrus, and Mr. Wood, what is the purpose of your visit?"

Ms. Debbie picked up the coffee cup and started drinking it. She didn't want to get involved in these things.

Because she has always lived in Jingang City, we have to mention Jingang City’s current core light industrial business - the textile industry.

The textile industry produces very little pollution and has many export orders. In order to reduce transportation costs, many companies have gradually set up factories in Jingang City.

After receiving the order, the business personnel will start to arrange production tasks. Basically, they need to queue up. Once a batch of orders is completed, it can be shipped on the same day.

So the other offices of the Labor Federation might be in Maintenon or somewhere else, but the Light Industry and Textile Office was right in Jingang City.

This is the largest textile industry in Likalai State.

It is precisely because Ms. Debbie has always lived in Jingang City that she knows very well who has the loudest voice in this city.

She distanced herself from the whole thing by bowing her head, which was also a statement of her stance.

Mr. Wood glanced at Ms. Debbie, who still had some status and influence in the labor federation, and frowned slightly.

But he soon relaxed and realized that he didn't think Lance would be a "trouble".

They have seen a lot of "troubles". Even those well-known super conglomerates would seem powerless when facing them!
If you don't fucking obey me, I'll shut down all your factories!

The losses caused by the suspension of work are not just a few hundred or a few thousand yuan. If there is any penalty for breach of contract, it will be hundreds of thousands or even millions!
At the same time, skilled workers themselves are the backbone of the voters, and politicians and even the president will retain a certain respect for this group.

He had heard some rumors about a connection with Lance, but he wasn't afraid.

The 20 million workers in the federation are his strongest backing. No matter how powerful the Lance family is, can they be a match for 20 million working-class people?

Mr. Gebrus was the vice president, so if he spoke, some things would be difficult to reverse, so Mr. Wood spoke first.

"Mr. Lance, I heard that you own a labor company?"

Lance didn't deny it. He leaned back on the couch and pulled out his cigarette case and matches. "Mind if I have one?"

Ms. Debbie smiled and told him to feel free to do as he pleased. Although Mr. Wood frowned again, somewhat dissatisfied with Lance's direct interruption of his rhythm, he did not refuse.

Lance lit a cigarette, one hand on the armrest of the sofa, the other hand holding the cigarette, he exhaled a puff of smoke, "Yes, I do have a labor company, to help some people who are able to work but unable to work, to solve their labor problems."

He used the word "labor capacity" twice in a row, but the meanings of the two phrases are not the same.

The former refers to "having the physique and ability to work", and the latter refers to "whether being allowed to work", but everyone in the room can understand what he means, after all, that's what they do.

Mr. Wood nodded slightly. "I also heard that you already have 40,000 registered members?"

Lance also did not deny it, and further said, "We are still expanding. I think this number is not enough to truly reflect the embarrassing problems of some of the labor force in Jingang City now."

"Mr. Wood, do you also want to join this plan?"

Mr. Wood's mouth was twisted into a half-joyful grin, which was a strange description, but that was the feeling he was projecting.

I was laughing, but it was an unhappy laugh.

"Mr. Lance, the number and scale are too large. Many of the workers have not received systematic training and ratings. They will disrupt the stability and balance of the labor market." "I have no intention of creating any contradictions or conflicts. I am just stating a fact."

"The labor market requires each of us to maintain it voluntarily so that the working class can get corresponding rewards through their labor."

"Please forgive my directness, but your company is destroying this stability!"

There was no change in Lance's expression. He took a puff of his cigarette and asked, "So what are your demands?"

He had heard from someone before that the workers' union had a lot of complaints about the labor company. Now it seems that they came here just for this matter.

But Lance could understand them, because skipping the union process was tantamount to digging at the roots of the workers' union and the labor federation.

Once this model starts to become replicable and bring more impact, such companies will soon appear everywhere.

Of course, their scale may not be as large as Lance's, and their destructive power may not be as great as his, but this is a bad phenomenon.

Ms. Debbie suddenly stood up and said, "Excuse me, I need to go to the bathroom..."

Lance showed her the way, knowing that she didn't want to stay here and be awkward.

As far as Mr. Wood and this Mr. Gebrus were concerned, Debbie’s mission was accomplished.

After she left, Mr. Wood continued, "We discussed two possible solutions internally."

Lance nodded for him to continue.

"The first option, which I personally don't like, is to dissolve your labor company."

"In fact, from our current research on some phenomena in Jingang City, we also believe that effective management of these black immigrants can have a positive effect on the labor market."

"Once they are allowed to re-enter the market in a chaotic manner, competition will become more intense and the industry will become more unstable."

“So we prefer the second option.”

He glanced at Mr. Gebrus and said softly, "Let the workers get involved in the labor service company's business. We will connect with those factories. In this way, we will form a complementary relationship with your company and completely solve all the problems."

He smiled as he spoke, "The labor unions and the AFL can also provide you with a lot of help. You know, we have more than 20 million working brothers. We are the most powerful class in the federation and can crush everything!"

His face was flushed with excitement, and it seemed that he had indeed deceived himself.

Lance smiled and said, "But you still need the capitalists to pay you so that the workers can survive."

Mr. Wood was stunned by this sentence, and then he wanted to get angry, but he controlled himself very well. He suppressed some of his anger and said in a muffled voice, "Mr. Lance, I respect you, and I hope you can respect me and the working class."

"We are equal to the capitalists. We work for wages. No one is higher than us, and we are not lower than anyone!"

This sentence was so damn funny that Lance almost laughed. He flicked the ash off his cigarette and said, "I don't object to your idea..."

Mr. Wood and Mr. Gebrus looked at each other and saw surprise in each other's eyes. They originally thought that they would have to fight hard to get the results they wanted.

It now seems that Mr. Lance is still very sympathetic to them.

Mr. Wood was about to speak to promote this cooperation when Lance raised his hand to stop him, "Don't worry, we still have some things to resolve between us."

With a basis for cooperation, Mr. Wood was all smiles and no longer anxious. He said cheerfully, "You say."

Lance crossed his legs, leaned forward slightly, and placed his hands on the armrest of the sofa on his crossed legs.

“The first question is, are the workers registered in my company entitled to everything that ordinary federal workers in the industry union enjoy?”

"All kinds of benefits, treatment, and if they have problems, can you ask you to seek justice for them, such as being underpaid, or being unreasonably dismissed by the employer for some reason."

As Mr. Wood listened, he felt something was not right, but he didn't know what it was, so he could only look at Mr. Gebrus.

The two of them lowered their heads and talked in a low voice for a while. They felt that there was a problem here, and it was a big problem.

The problem is that these workers in Lans Company are all illegal immigrants!

Those bosses can fire them without restraint, without even giving any reason.

Not convinced?

Unsatisfied, they called the Immigration Department and said there were illegal workers here.

Why is it that everyone knows there are so many illegal immigrants on the docks doing the lowest-level jobs, but the Longshoremen's Union won't accept them?

Even if they want to pay money and join the union, they will be rejected?
To put it bluntly, it is because their identities are illegal, and the Dockworkers' Union is a legal organization, so it is impossible for them to recruit these members.

If they are recruited, and they encounter a lot of problems due to their illegal status, will the union step in?

Standing up means that they are providing assistance or defense to workers who break the law, which will lead to some moral accusations.

If you don't step forward, then they will collect membership fees again, which will make people think that they are too greedy.

So they simply don't give these people the opportunity to join.

Now the two of them came to these conclusions after just a brief discussion, and for a moment, both of their faces turned unsightly.

When they came, they just thought that this matter could be easily solved, without giving it too much thought.

The company is still Lance's company, and his black immigrants are still his black immigrants, but now capitalists who want to connect with Lance's company need to go through the union's procedures.

Other than that everything else remains the same as before, they plan to gain influence and control for nothing!
Mr. Wood frowned and said, "Mr. Lance, what we mean is that we join as an intermediary between your company and the capitalists, not that we want to take over these workers..."

He actually felt a little uneasy when he said these words, after all, these words didn't sound like something a human would say.

Lance wasn't angry either, he just curled his lips, "So what are you going to pay for your demands?"

Mr. Wood was stunned for a moment, and then said, "Uh," "We can help you communicate better with those capitalists. At the same time, we can provide experienced and skilled workers, and we know how to arrange the production schedule of workers more scientifically..."

He said a lot, and it seemed like they were all advantages, but he didn't say anything practical.

Lance took a puff of his cigarette and put it out in the ashtray. "So you want to control my company and my workers without paying anything?"

Mr. Wood was also a little impatient. "You can't say that. With our help, the capitalists will be more cautious in dealing with you, and we can also ensure your legitimate interests..."

Lance interrupted him, "But you just said that you won't provide any assistance. By the way, most of my workers are illegal immigrants. What help can you provide for them?"

“They can’t buy commercial insurance or medical insurance. Maybe you can help them solve these problems?”

“Or can you help them obtain legal status and allow them to work legally?”

He shook his head. "To be honest, I don't see your sincerity, nor do I see the possibility of continuing the discussion. Maybe you can go back and think about it again, and see how you can convince me."

(End of this chapter)