Chapter 71

"Tssk—"

Hu Jiefang clicked his teeth, shaking his head helplessly. In an era when monthly wages generally did not exceed one hundred yuan, giving the old masters eight hundred yuan a month would create a bunch of ten-thousand-yuan households in just a year, wouldn't it?

With such a huge benefit dangling, it was no wonder these old veterans were so proactive in supporting Hu Wenhai.

With the support of the municipal government and the Machinery Industry Bureau, and the backing of the old veterans with seniority, the future looked bright, and there were proper arrangements for the past. With Hu Wenhai's set of tactics, the employees of Factory 501 had no heart to resist, all calculating what benefits they could gain from this reform.

The workshop director, who was just going through the motions, would definitely be laid off with a buyout of over a thousand yuan. The young workers below were all calculating whether they had a chance to take his place.

The office lady didn't want to take risks in a private enterprise. She calculated that with a buyout of nearly three thousand yuan, she could finally afford her son's wedding.

Shen Qianzhe from the Technical Department was completely unmoved by the content of the meeting, engrossed in a stack of technical documents from over a decade ago, completely unaware of what was happening.

There were workers who were unwilling to leave but clearly didn't want to work seriously, all of them young and unruly. But so what? In 1983, a large number of people, guilty or not, had been executed during the severe crackdown. This was why a few old veterans could keep a group of workers in line—after all, in this era, attacking the elderly in public, especially in front of the mayor of Xiucheng City, was a matter of getting a bullet in the head.

There were those who had developed occupational diseases from their early jobs and owed a lot in medical bills, calculating how much the resettlement fund could reimburse them.

There were dual-income couples planning to have children, paying special attention to maternity leave and childbirth reimbursement, wondering if they could still give birth in the hospital of Factory 501.

The factory children whose parents had already retired were relieved. Although the newly established Xinke Company would not be responsible for the pensions of retired workers, the resettlement fund would continue to handle it.

The resettlement fund was placed in the hands of the government, which, in an era when public trust had not yet collapsed, was still relatively reassuring.

Not only the main factory employees, but also the employees of the three industries did not have to worry. After Xinke Company took over the three industries, it did not treat them as a burden but instead increased their business bonuses, which was a significant amount of money.

In short, all the employees of Factory 501 found their own interests in this resettlement plan. Whether they wanted to stay or leave, Hu Wenhai had almost thoughtfully designed various protections and futures for them.

And it seemed that life would be even better than before in Factory 501.

Zhang Mingjie read the entire resettlement plan twice, his voice hoarse, finally satisfying the employees' demands. Normally, workers would doze off during such long speeches, but today, not a single person dozed off or even lost focus.

After Zhang Mingjie finished reading the resettlement plan, someone started asking questions. The workers of Factory 501 had discipline, at least knowing to raise their hands to speak and maintain basic meeting order.

Hu Wenhai and Wang Yichun, the actual drafters of the resettlement plan, took over from Zhang Mingjie, answering the workers' questions one by one. The entire employee meeting lasted from 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM. The cold January wind in Northeast China could turn people into popsicles, but the meeting was heated, and no one felt cold.

At noon, Hu Wenhai treated the more than three thousand employees of Factory 501 to a meal of braised beef with potatoes, made with high-pressure steam.

After lunch, the Q&A session continued, and it wasn't until around 2:00 PM that no one in the audience raised their hand to ask questions. Hu Wenhai stood on the stage, asking three times if everyone understood the resettlement agreement and had no objections. Then, Wang Yichun officially announced the start of the Factory 501 reform vote.

Everything was prepared. Hu Wenhai had made an electronic voting machine in the past few days. The principle was simple: each button press would make a number on a light tube display jump.

On the stage of the employee meeting, three options were hung: agree, abstain, and oppose. Corresponding to these options were three buttons. The personnel department called out names, and the more than three thousand employees of Factory 501 were to vote on the spot.

Seeing how meticulously Hu Wenhai had prepared, the faces of the deputy factory managers, including Yi Yue, were not very pleasant. In fact, the biggest fear with reform was delay. It had to be swift and decisive; otherwise, these employees might be swayed at home and start imagining all sorts of conspiracies against Hu Wenhai.

As the personnel department called out names, those who needed to vote gathered below the stage, then lined up to go on stage to verify their identity and cast their solemn vote under the watchful eyes of all the employees of Factory 501.

Hu Wenhai could be said to have done everything to ensure fairness, transparency, and openness throughout the acquisition process. As the first to take on this challenge, he knew that China's so-called reform was actually a constant game of skirting the law, and no one knew the final outcome, so he had to take measures to protect himself!

Watching the numbers on the three voting machines jump, not only the employees of Factory 501 but also all the leaders of Factory 501, the municipal government, and the industry bureau, and even Hu Wenhai himself, were somewhat anxious.

With over three thousand people voting, although the discipline of the Factory 501 workers was good, it was still very time-consuming. By around 5:00 PM, when it was already getting dark, the entire voting process was finally completed.

The red light tube numbers were visible to everyone. Surprisingly, nearly five hundred people abstained, which was quite unexpected for Hu Wenhai. He stood up and looked at the number of people who had voted in favor—2,112 people!

"Phew—"

The fatigue Hu Wenhai had felt all day seemed to be rewarded with this number. Not only him, but Mayor Wang Yichun was also beaming with joy. The successful sale of Factory 501 meant the municipal government could shed a heavy burden and gain over six million yuan, which was the 20% acquisition fee Hu Wenhai had paid. With the "resettlement fund" in hand, the remaining 80% of the acquisition fee would be returned over the next two years with the fiscal budget.

This would likely make the municipal government of Xiucheng City more comfortable in the next two years.

The old employees of Factory 501 standing neatly on the stage were also extremely happy. They could return to work with high salaries! Moreover, they had heard a lot of praise from Hu Shiwu about his grandson, and it was all true. Hu Wenhai could lead Factory 501 to new heights, which was undeniable.

Hu Jiefang and Luo Likou didn't need to be mentioned; they were his own people. The loudest cheers, however, came from the employees in the audience!

Many older workers, young workers in neatly worn work clothes, middle-aged workers who looked somewhat dull, and female workers with the sharpness of Northeastern women, were all cheering for this result.

The system had oppressed them, and they had created the system. But when an opportunity for change appeared, people were still brave enough to try. The problem with state-owned enterprises (SOEs) was not just the workers' decline but the system that constrained their upward mobility. Not just in terms of position and power, but also the egalitarianism, the eight-level wage system, the emphasis on seniority over ability, the lack of impact of work performance on wages, and the factory's lack of power to decide its own fate. These were the deeper reasons for the SOEs' difficulties.

When a ray of hope appeared to change all this, it was already proven that Chinese workers were not willing to fall into decline. Otherwise, how could the same group of people make "Made in China" dominate the world twenty years later?

The facts proved that the blood of Chinese workers had not cooled, and they still had the passion to create a better tomorrow!

"Alright, it's getting late. Everyone, please go home, go home! Factory 501 is still Factory 501, and we will have a better future!" Finally, the old party secretary, Luo Likou, announced the end of the meeting.

However, unexpectedly, the workers did not immediately leave. They stood there, seemingly reluctant or confused, not moving.

Suddenly—

"The Five-Star Red Flag flutters in the wind, the victory song is so loud. Singing of our dear motherland, from now on, we will walk towards prosperity and strength..."

From some corner, a soft voice began to sing, and more and more people joined in.

"Crossing mountains, crossing plains, crossing the surging Yellow and Yangtze Rivers. The vast and beautiful land is our dear homeland!"

The workers of Factory 501, in neat rows, sang loudly for their country and marched out of the factory gate in a grand procession.

It was only then that Hu Wenhai realized he was making history. He quietly wiped his slightly moist eyes, but suddenly, everything went dark as Wang Yichun gave him a big hug.

"Comrade Hu, from now on, these workers of Factory 501 will rely on you!"

Looking around, everyone on the stage, except for a few management personnel of Factory 501, was already hugging each other in excitement!

The 1980s, a great era! The 1980s, an era of Chinese passion! The 1980s, a magical era!

Hu Wenhai retracted his gaze and turned to smile, "Mayor Wang, rest assured, I won't let you down."

...

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