Empire of Shadows

Golden Port City has encountered some problems recently, for the various unions.

Some of the newly arrived factories are in contact with Lance’s Wanli Labor Service Company. Now the people of Golden Port City all know that the price of the labor force exported by this company is a little cheaper than that of the locals, with a difference of about one or two dollars.

Don’t underestimate the difference of one or two dollars. If you have two thousand employees, and each person has to take a dollar and a half less in salary every month, for two thousand people, that’s three thousand dollars.

If, for an enterprise with two thousand employees, three thousand dollars is not enough to make them waver, then most of Lance’s these special employees are undocumented.

What does this mean?

It means that there is no need to, in accordance with the matters stipulated in the “Workers’ Insurance Act” promulgated by the federal government in 1009, for the enterprises that hire workers to purchase commercial insurance for the workers, or to pay the medical expenses and subsequent expenses for the workers who are injured at work.

The law stipulates that according to different natures, for example, low-risk jobs, medium-risk jobs, high-risk jobs, and special high-risk jobs, the payment is graded. For example, the workers who are producing in a factory are at least a medium-risk job.

According to the requirements of the law, the people who hire them only need to, according to the different local laws, about 2% of their monthly income will be used to pay for commercial insurance.

At present, the upper limit of the compensation for mainstream commercial industrial injury insurance is one thousand dollars. The excess part needs to be borne by the capitalist himself.

Taking a monthly income of forty-eight dollars as an example, then an extra of about two thousand will have to be spent every month, and they also have to bear a part of the excess risk of industrial injury.The conflict, the confrontation between the capitalists and the laborers has always existed. With the introduction of various laws to protect the laborers, to a certain extent, the situation between the labor and capital is undergoing some reversal.

Some workers who use industrial injuries to blackmail the capitalists, and even professional gangs, have begun to appear frequently.

At first, they would go to find the factories that did not buy insurance for their workers. They would seemingly accidentally lose a toe, a finger, and then use this as a reason to extort a few hundred or a thousand from the capitalists.

As it developed, they would, through some methods, form a structure similar to an intermediary, and would buy people from poor areas, for example, from the Yalan side, and then throw them into the factories to create all kinds of accidents.

Many factories have had many similar situations. Some have even had several people die, and the capitalists have paid a large sum of money in compensation.

In some cases, even with commercial insurance, it’s not enough. These people’s ruthlessness is directly aimed at killing people.

So now there is a more intense conflict between labor and capital.

And, the workers’ union and the labor federation, have also played a not-so-glorious role in this. They often, without considering the cause and effect, provide legal and moral assistance to some of the extortion groups, that is, to provide services such as strikes, parades, and demonstrations, and from which they get economic or political benefits.

The capitalists are also quite depressed, and the ordinary workers are also very depressed. Both the capitalists and the workers who really want to work seem to have become victims.

If nothing else had happened, this situation would have continued, but an accident still happened—Lance’s labor service company.

There is no need for the capitalists to bear the extra industrial injury expenditure. Lance’s labor service company has solved the problem of industrial injury. For the capitalists who need a large number of workers, it is not just a matter of saving a little over two dollars in wages for each person, but also a reduction of a big trouble.

To be extorted a little is not just a matter of a few hundred or a few thousand, so now the factories in the new industrial district are all in contact with Lance’s labor service company, directly contracting the jobs to Lance’s company. The cooperation is actually quite good.

Although no one has yet tried to use industrial injury to blackmail the factories, or Lance’s company, everyone knows one thing.

That is, if they were really intentional, Lance would not only not give them money, but would also have them all killed!

So now the business of the labor service company is very hot.

And this, in turn, has offended the workers’ union, because this group of Lance’s people are not union members, have not paid any union fees, and will not be manipulated by them.

They don’t even have a chance to organize a strike, because those people simply won’t listen to them!

So the industry union here immediately found a higher-level labor federation, and requested their help to solve this problem, which is why there is today’s meeting.

“And these two are?” Lance’s gaze went past Ms. Debbie and rested on the two by her side.

Debbie immediately turned sideways and introduced to Lance, “This is Mr. Gebulous, and this is Mr. Wood.”

While Lance was shaking hands with them, Debbie continued to introduce him in detail, “Mr. Gebulous is the vice president of the Likalai State Labor Federation, mainly responsible for presiding over the daily work of the Likalai State Labor Federation.”

“Mr. Wood is our consultant. He knows a lot of things and has a very deep understanding of all walks of life.”

Lance invited them to sit down, and then had Ennio serve everyone a cup of coffee and some pastries.

After everyone was seated, Lance asked with a smile, “I’ve been very busy recently, and I may have been neglectful to you all. I’ll apologize first.”

“Let’s cut down on the unnecessary pleasantries and mutual flattery and get straight to the point.”

“Ms. Debbie, Mr. Gebulous, and Mr. Wood, what is the purpose of your trip?”

Ms. Debbie picked up her coffee cup and began to drink with her head down. She didn’t really want to get involved in these matters.

Because she had always lived in Golden Port City, and here we have to mention the current core light industry business of Golden Port City—the textile industry.

The pollution of the textile industry is very small, and at the same time, there are many export orders. Many enterprises, in order to reduce transportation costs, have gradually set up factories on the Golden Port City side.

After the business personnel have gotten the orders, they will begin to arrange the production tasks. Basically, they have to queue up. For every batch of orders completed here, they can be shipped on the same day.

So the other offices of the Labor Federation may be in Manteno, or in other places, but the light industry textile office is in Golden Port City.

Here is the largest textile industry in Likalai State.

And it is precisely because Ms. Debbie has always lived in Golden Port City that she is very clear about whose voice is the loudest in this city.

She had lowered her head to remove herself from the whole matter, which could also be considered a statement of her position.

Mr. Wood glanced at this Ms. Debbie, who still had some status and influence in the Labor Federation, and frowned slightly.

However, it quickly relaxed. He did not think that Lance would be a “trouble.”

They had seen many “troubles.” Even those super-financial groups with a far-reaching reputation would appear very powerless in front of them!

If you don’t fucking listen, I’ll have all your factories shut down!

The loss brought by a shutdown is not a matter of a few hundred or a few thousand. If there are any breach of contract penalties, it’s hundreds of thousands, millions!

At the same time, the skilled workers themselves are the backbone of the voters. The politicians and even Mr. President will all maintain a certain degree of respect for this group.

He had heard some rumors related to Lance, but he was not afraid.

The twenty million workers of the Federation are his strongest backing. Even if the Lance Family is so awesome, can they be a match for the twenty million working class?

Mr. Gebulous, because he was the vice president, if he were to speak, some things would be very difficult to have room for maneuver, so it was Mr. Wood who spoke first.

“Mr. Lance, I hear you have a labor service company under your name?”

Lance did not deny it. He leaned back on the sofa and took out a cigarette case and a match. “Do you mind if I have one?”

Ms. Debbie smiled and gestured for him to do as he pleased. Although Mr. Wood frowned again, a little dissatisfied with Lance for directly interrupting his rhythm, he did not refuse.

Lance lit a cigarette, one hand on the armrest of the sofa, the hand holding the cigarette resting on the other side. He exhaled a puff of smoke. “Yes, I do have a labor service company, to help some people who have the ability to work, but not the ability to work, to solve the problem of labor.”

He had used the two “labor ability” in a row, but the meaning of these two phrases was not the same.

The former refers to “having the physique and ability to work,” and the latter refers to “whether you are allowed to work.” However, the people in the room could all understand what he meant. After all, this was what they did.

Mr. Wood nodded slightly. “I also hear that you have 40,000 registered members?”

Lance also did not deny it, and even further said, “We are still expanding. I think this number is not enough to truly reflect the current embarrassing problem of some of the labor force in Golden Port City.”

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

The corner of Mr. Wood’s mouth curled up, and his smile was not so happy. This was a very strange description, but this was the feeling he was giving.

I’m smiling, but I’m not smiling happily.

“Mr. Lance, this number and scale is too large. Many of the workers in it have not received systematic training and rating. They will disrupt the stability and balance of the labor market.”

“I have no intention of creating any conflict, but just to state a fact.”

“The labor market needs each of us to spontaneously maintain it, so that the working class can get a corresponding reward through their labor.”

“Please forgive my directness. Your company is destroying this stability!”

Lance’s face showed not much of a change in expression. He took a puff of his cigarette. “So what are your demands?”

Before, he had heard someone say that the workers’ union’s side had a big opinion of the labor service company. Now it seemed that they had come for this matter.

However, Lance could understand them, because to skip the process of the union was equivalent to digging at the root of the workers’ union, digging at the root of the labor federation.

Once this model began to become replicable, and to bring more effects, soon this kind of company would appear in various places.

Of course, their scale might not be as large as Lance’s, and their destructive power might not be as great as his, but this was a bad phenomenon.

Ms. Debbie suddenly stood up. “Sorry, I need to go to the bathroom…”

Lance pointed her in the direction, and also knew that she didn’t want to stay here and feel awkward.

For Mr. Wood and this Mr. Gebulous, Debbie’s mission was already completed.

After she had left, only then did Mr. Wood continue, “We have discussed two disposal plans internally.”

Lance nodded, signaling for him to continue.

“The first, of course, I personally don’t like this choice, which is to dissolve your this labor service company.”

“In fact, from our research on some of the phenomena in Golden Port City at present, we also believe that effective management of these illegal immigrants can have a positive effect on the labor market.”

“Once they are allowed to flow back into the market in a chaotic manner, the competition will become more intense, and the industry will also become more unstable.”

“So we are more inclined to the second choice.”

He glanced at Mr. Gebulous, and then said in a low voice, “Let the workers intervene in the business of the labor service company. We will go and connect with those factories. This way we and your company can form a complementary relationship, completely solving all the problems.”

As he spoke, a lot of smiles appeared on his face. “The union and the labor federation can also provide you with a lot of help. You know, we have more than twenty million worker brothers. We are the most powerful class in the Federation, and can crush everything!”

His face was flushed with an excited red glow. It seemed that he had really deceived himself.

Lance said with a smile, “But you still need the capitalists to pay you a salary to let the workers live.”

This sentence made Mr. Wood stunned for a moment, and then he was about to get angry, but he had controlled himself very well. He suppressed some of his anger and said in a muffled voice, “Mr. Lance, I respect you, and I also hope that you can respect me and the worker brother class.”

“We are equal with the capitalists. We exchange our labor for a reward. No one is a grade higher than us, and we are not a grade lower than anyone!”

This sentence was so fucking funny that Lance almost laughed. He tapped his cigarette ash. “I don’t object to your ideas…”

Mr. Wood and Mr. Gebulous looked at each other, and both saw a pleasant surprise in each other’s eyes. They had originally thought that they would have to “fight” hard to get the result they wanted.

Now it seemed that this Mr. Lance was still very considerate of them.

Just as Mr. Wood was about to open his mouth to facilitate this cooperation, he was stopped by Lance’s raised hand. “Don’t be in a hurry. There are still some things to be resolved between us.”

With a basis for cooperation, Mr. Wood’s face was full of smiles, and he was no longer in a hurry. He said cheerfully, “You speak.”

Lance crossed his legs, leaned forward slightly, and the hand that had been on the armrest of the sofa was now on his crossed leg.

“The first question, the workers who are registered in my company, can they enjoy everything that an ordinary federal worker in an industry union enjoys?”

“All kinds of welfare, treatment, and if they encounter a problem, can they ask you to get justice for him, for example, if their wages are deducted, or if they are unreasonably dismissed by their employer for some reason.”

As Mr. Wood was listening, he felt that something was not quite right, but he was not yet clear what was not right. He could only look at Mr. Gebulous.

The two of them lowered their heads and exchanged a few words in a low voice. They felt that there was a problem in this, and it was a big problem.

The problem was that the laborers in Lance’s company were all fucking undocumented!

The bosses could fire them at will, and they didn’t even have to find a reason.

Not satisfied?

If they were not satisfied, they would call the immigration bureau and say that there were illegal laborers here.

Why are there so many illegal immigrants working in the lowest-level jobs on the docks? Everyone knows, but the dock workers’ union just won’t accept them?

Even if they want to pay money, and want to join the union, they will be refused?

To put it bluntly, it is because their identity is not legal, and the dock workers’ union is a legal organization. It is impossible for them to recruit these members.

If they were to recruit them, and they encountered many problems because of their illegal status, would the union step in?

To step in would mean that they were providing help or defense for illegal workers, which would attract some moral criticism.

If they didn’t step in, then they had taken the union fees. This would make people think that their eating manners were too ugly.

So they simply did not give these people a chance to join.

Now the two had just discussed it for a while and had come to these conclusions. For a time, the faces of the two of them became not so good-looking.

When they had come, they had only thought that this matter was very easy to solve and had not considered too much—

The company was still Lance’s company, and his illegal immigrants were still his illegal immigrants. It was just that now the capitalists needed to go through the procedure of the union to connect with Lance’s company.

Besides these, everything else was the same as before. They planned to get influence and control without paying anything!

Mr. Wood frowned and said, “Mr. Lance, we mean that we, as an intermediary, will join between your company and the capitalists, not that we are going to take over these workers…”

When he said these words, he was also a little guilty in his heart. After all, these words sounded too unlike what a human would say.

Lance was not angry either, but just pursed his lips. “Then what are you going to pay for your demands?”

Mr. Wood was stunned for a moment and “uh-ed” for a while. “We can help you to better communicate with those capitalists. At the same time, we can provide experienced and skilled workers, and we also know how to more scientifically arrange the production arrangements of the workers…”

He said a lot, and it seemed that they were all advantages, but he didn’t say a single actual thing.

Lance took another puff of his cigarette. He stubbed out the cigarette butt in the ashtray. “So you are not paying anything, and you hope to control the company in my hands and my workers?”

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 legal interests…”

Lance interrupted him. “But you also said just now that you will not provide any assistance. By the way, my workers are mostly illegal immigrants. What help can you provide them?”

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

“Or can you help them get a legal identity, so that they can work legally?”

He shook his head. “To be honest, I can’t see your sincerity, nor can I see the possibility of continuing to talk. Maybe you can go back and think about it again, and see how you can persuade me.”

(End of a Chapter)