Road to Revival

Chapter 96 Alternative Petitions

After the May Day holiday, Tao Tang played several cards in succession, which came to a temporary halt until Lu Yaozu inspected Hongxing. The swift detention of Mu Jianhua and Huo Jianguo, as well as the support of the new municipal party secretary for Hongxing in the environmental incident, allowed Tao Tang to win these rounds without any major incidents.

Ren Dao wasn't the only one ready to see Tao Tang make a fool of himself; Tao Tang's unexpected takeover of the Environmental Protection Bureau surprised many.

The document regarding the rectification of the company's catering and hospitality management has been signed and issued by Tao Tang after being countersigned by company leaders, and the Human Resources Department has also launched an investigation into the issue of absenteeism. These two matters immediately became the focus of discussion among Red Star employees.

The reactions of senior management and lower-level employees at Hongxing Company to this matter differed. From Zhao Qingmin down, all members of the Hongxing leadership realized that the newly appointed Party Secretary of Pingquan City had an unusual relationship with Tao Tang. Although Hongxing was not under the city's jurisdiction, the support from the highest levels of Pingquan made them more respectful of Tao Tang. Tao Tang, receiving strong support from both the central and local authorities, was not someone that could be easily challenged; neither Han Zhiyong nor Li Luo could. Therefore, the resistance to rectifying external receptions and investigating absenteeism was much less.

As before, Hongxing's retired employees completely sided with Tao Tang, giving him resounding applause. The vast majority of employees also fully supported these two rectification measures. Unsurprisingly, Tao Tang's prestige among both retired and active employees increased.

On the evening of the 17th, when Tao Tang was receiving petitioners, a group of workers from the Power Company arrived. This startled Yao Qiufa, the director of the petition office, who was reporting to him on recent petition work. Yao Qiufa thought they had come to cause trouble for Tao Tang. "What have you come to report? One by one!" Yao Qiufa jumped up.

"It's alright, let them in." Tao Tang estimated that launching an investigation into absentee employees and cracking down on lavish spending of public funds would cause some problems, so he refused Zhang Xingwu's suggestion to receive the visitors on his behalf and forbade Zhang Xingwu from coming along.

Seven or eight people suddenly rushed into the petition office, completely ignoring Yao Qiufa's shouts. Tao Tang recognized one of them—Wu Guisheng, the one who had petitioned because his children had come to the factory. They told Tao Tang, "General Manager Tao, we're not here to report a problem, we're here to support you! Old Wu heard you were on duty tonight, so he came to see you. Hongxing has finally got a good leader! We can't let you suffer! The company should have done this a long time ago! We workers fully support what you've done! We heard someone is trying to cause you trouble, but don't worry, we're your backing. If anyone dares to cause you trouble, we'll smash their head in!"

The workers chattered amongst themselves, which reassured Yao Qiufa, as long as there was no trouble. The "incident" that impacted Xiaozhao had worried Wang Dabing, who was at the same level as him, to death.

"Haha, please have a seat, everyone." Tao Tang was very happy and gestured for the workers to sit down. "I'm sorry, I don't smoke, so I don't have any cigarettes to offer you. You can only have water. Director Yao, please pour some water for the workers."

The petition office has been renovated and equipped with more than a dozen electroplated folding chairs and a water dispenser.

Tao Tang inquired about the workers' positions one by one. "The Cultural Revolution is long over, and we can't do things the way they did during the Cultural Revolution anymore, so we must never smash someone's head at the drop of a hat. I'm glad to have the opportunity to talk to you all. Recently, the sewage treatment issue has alarmed the city, and everyone knows about it. What do you all think about this? Oh, you're from the sewage treatment plant, you go first," Tao Tang said to the young worker surnamed Li.

"The government always makes things difficult for us. They treat us to a meal and the problem is temporarily solved, but then they come back a few days later to freeload again. It's always the same."

"You're not entirely right. The second wastewater treatment plant does have problems. I checked it; the machines were always malfunctioning… By the way, are the machines fixed now and running normally?"

"It's perfectly normal," Xiao Li replied.

"If the machine is malfunctioning, you can't blame the inspectors, right? Environmental protection is a major issue concerning future generations, and we can't be careless. Haven't the company and the technical safety department explained the dangers of electroplating wastewater to you?"

"I've said that before..."

"That settles it, doesn't it? We can't blame the Environmental Protection Bureau for the inspection. The key is to do our job properly so that the Environmental Protection Bureau can't find anything wrong with it."

"If they were handling things officially, we wouldn't dare to say anything, but they aren't! Mr. Tao, you may not know, but the reason they're making things difficult for us this time is entirely because you cut off the Ren family's source of income! Ren Dao's brother-in-law is the director of the Environmental Protection Bureau, which is basically his family's business. They can cause trouble whenever they want. We're so happy that you invited the new secretary to deflate their arrogance..." said another older worker.

"Master Qi, right? Putting aside the Ren family, let me ask you, when our equipment was running normally before, did they ever make things difficult for us?"

"That's happened before. They'd say things like the records weren't complete or the testing methods were wrong. They always had the upper hand."

"Then, is the record incomplete?"

Master Qi fell silent.

"That's right. We should look at it this way: don't think they're making things difficult for us. Unless they're mentally ill, they need a reason to make things difficult, right? They issued the production stoppage order and imposed fines according to regulations. I don't believe the Pingquan Environmental Protection Bureau is an agency controlled by the Kuomintang."

The workers laughed.

"Comrades, the factory is implementing lean management. Have you started doing so in your area?" Tao Tang changed the subject.

"It's happening. After you held the meeting for the middle-level managers, our unit also held a meeting for group leaders. All workshops and groups have started to move..." Wu Guisheng said.

"Oh, what did you do?"

"A thorough cleaning, cleaning of the tool cabinets, and redoing all the signboards and team bulletin boards..." Master Qi replied.

"The sanitation situation has indeed improved, especially at the first stop, it's much better there. You mentioned the signs, can you understand them? Do you find them useful?"

"I don't want to talk nonsense. I really don't understand," Master Qi honestly admitted. Everyone laughed again.

"One possibility is that you're not strengthening your learning. The second possibility is that your unit's bulletin boards are out of touch with reality. What's the point of bulletin boards? First, to make comparisons for improvement—what it was like before, and what it's like now, all clearly visible. Second, to publish all kinds of data, for example, the boiler group's energy consumption targets and actual performance—all publicly displayed so everyone knows the direction for improvement. I'll take a look when I have time to see which situation it is. Foreman, you are frontline workers; you can't just think about doing your job and ignore everything else. What does it mean to be the owner of the company? It means treating the company as your own home. For example, although I am the chairman and general manager of the company, I can turn a blind eye to the company's excessive spending on food and drink, and I can pretend not to notice those who take a salary but don't come to work, but that doesn't mean..." This is the attitude a true owner should have; otherwise, it would be disrespectful to the company that pays me my salary, wouldn't it? You all should be the same. For example, regarding energy consumption, saving even one ton of coal can save several hundred yuan. This money could be used to raise everyone's salaries or improve our working environment. I've been to your boiler room; the environment is indeed terrible. There are many areas for improvement, such as ventilation, the shower rooms, and the duty rooms… We could also switch to gas boilers, saving manpower and effort, and the environmental protection bureau wouldn't come to inspect dust removal anymore. Wouldn't that be great? If everyone focused on finding and plugging the loopholes, how much do you think we could save in a year? It wouldn't be a small amount, would it? Wouldn't it be great to use a portion of that to raise everyone's salaries? After I arrived, I conducted a survey, and almost all the employees wanted a raise. But salaries are earned by everyone, not allocated by superiors. Everyone must understand this…”

"President Tao, you're right, but you might not know this, but someone must have taken a kickback on that sewage treatment plant! Otherwise, why would the new machine keep having problems? You must investigate! We believe you're a good official and a good leader. If we don't dig out the corrupt officials at Hongxing, Hongxing won't get any better." Wu Guisheng, who had previously approached Tao Tang, shouted.

Yao Qiufa pricked up his ears.

Tao Tang calmly said, "The reasoning is correct. I'm willing to dig out all the corrupt officials you mentioned. But we need to present the facts and evidence. We live in a society governed by law now; you can't just make things up without evidence, or you'll be held legally responsible. Besides, eliminating corruption at Hongxing Factory can't rely solely on me. What if I'm unwilling? What if I end up like my predecessor? Master Wu, I've seen the meal allowances at your power company; they're very high, and I understand that most of it is spent by workers eating while working overtime. I don't object to eating while working overtime, but there are some issues worth noting. For example, can we finish our work within eight hours without working overtime? Can we get overtime pay instead of eating and drinking? Even if we do eat, can we eat something simple and affordable instead of going to a restaurant? Think about it, the power company eats, the machining company eats, and if we keep eating, we'll bankrupt the company. Where will we get the money to raise everyone's wages?"

Master Qi said, "What you said makes sense. But the company never pays us overtime, so wouldn't it be even more of a loss if we didn't eat?"

"I have to say something about this. First, I don't approve of overtime. Overtime indicates a problem with the company's management. Everyone, think honestly, how many hours do you work every day? Is overtime absolutely necessary? Of course, in case of emergencies, like a strong wind blowing down power lines and requiring emergency repairs, then overtime is fine. But how often does that happen? Second, I don't approve of not paying overtime. Overtime pay must be paid, and it must be done according to labor laws. Even the improvements and cost-saving measures I mentioned earlier should be rewarded. But I don't approve of lavish meals. If your salaries have increased, wouldn't it be better to take your wives and children out for a meal? Lao Qi, the responsibility for what you said about being taken advantage of might not lie with you, but it does lie with you. Like I said, you haven't truly considered yourselves as owners of the company, as owners of the power company."

"Mr. Tao, are you really going to pay us overtime?" Xiao Li asked.

"Why haven't you paid it? Overtime pay is due for working overtime. Xiao Li, how many years have you been a employee?"

"Seven years."

"That's the old comrade," Tao Tang smiled. "You must understand one thing: responsibility and power go hand in hand. You can only enjoy power if you fulfill your responsibilities. Just like everyone hates those who don't work but still get paid. Overtime must be necessary, legal, and approved. Overtime for the sake of overtime pay is like a student who doesn't study during the day but stays up late at night—it's definitely wrong. As I just said, I don't approve of overtime. It not only requires paying more wages but also more for power, equipment depreciation, and safety issues. What everyone should do is strive to improve work efficiency and get the work done within eight hours as much as possible. You must believe me, believe in our new leadership at Hongxing. The reason we don't want everyone to work overtime isn't because we're reluctant to pay the overtime pay, but because of management considerations. If efficiency improves, costs will definitely decrease, and the money saved will be used to raise everyone's wages."

"We trust you, but we don't trust those corrupt officials," Wu Guisheng said.

Why do you trust me but not others?

"General Manager Tao, we workers have all seen what you did at the factory. You're a good official, aren't you? But others might not be. I'm a worker representative, and at the beginning of the year at the worker representative meeting, that bastard Song Yue had the nerve to talk about clean governance," said Master Qi. "He was arrested a few days later, and it's said he embezzled tens of millions! Back then, we were saying, with their kind of behavior, how dare they talk about clean governance? They're shameless! But you're different. You didn't have to worry about Building 96 in the East Wing. You ate in the canteen with us and rode your bicycle down to the workshop. We all saw it. So we respect what you say."

Tao Tang thought for a moment, "Master Qi, Hongxing has indeed had problems with its integrity. Ji Liqiang from the purchasing department has fallen, and two others at the company level have also gone under. This is not something to be proud of; it's a disgrace to our Hongxing factory, a huge disgrace. But, as ordinary employees, shouldn't we also bear some responsibility? I think so. You just said you're a worker representative. Have you fought against the corruption at Hongxing? Have you reported it to your superiors in an appropriate way? You can't say there are no good people in Hongxing, can you? You probably think you dare not speak out, that speaking out would bring you trouble, right? I don't believe that all the leaders at both levels of Hongxing are bad people. Facts will certainly prove that those who violate Party discipline and national laws are always a minority. Now, some people hate officials as soon as they talk about corruption, wishing they could drag all the officials out and execute them. Then why have so many high-ranking officials been arrested since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China?" The tiger has come out? This shows the situation isn't as pessimistic as some people think. If I were truly the good official you all claim to be, then you should first thank the leaders of the Huihuang Group headquarters for sending me here. If everyone stood up to supervise the leaders and fought against corruption and waste, wouldn't the situation be better? On another note, we can't verbally condemn corruption while engaging in corrupt practices ourselves, such as wining and dining and giving gifts. For officials to accept bribes, there must be someone offering them. Why offer bribes? To get circumvented by the system. Am I right? Of course, the main responsibility for corruption lies not with those below but with those above. I still emphasize a sense of ownership. If everyone treated the Hongxing Factory as their own home, corruption would decrease significantly. Do you believe me? You are a worker representative, elected by the workers to speak for them. Haven't you fulfilled your responsibilities?

"Mr. Tao, you're right..." Master Qi said somewhat embarrassedly.

"Alright, our main task isn't anti-corruption, but improving production and operations. To be frank, even if we recovered all the money Song Yue embezzled, it wouldn't be of much use to anyone. A while ago, the company conducted a survey, and the main issues raised needed to be addressed one by one, including low wages. However, raising wages requires first improving production and operations; otherwise, how can we raise wages? Headquarters gave us a target of 120 billion, and so far we've only achieved less than 30 billion. How can that be acceptable? I hope everyone truly takes ownership of their roles, not just being employees. Identify and address our shortcomings, and the factory's situation will improve day by day, and everyone's income will increase daily."

"General Manager Tao, the factory has issued a document to investigate and eliminate those who have deserted their posts. I have a problem to report. There are at least seven or eight people in our power company who have deserted their posts, not just one or two! Many of them left their wages behind, and those money must have been divided up among our leaders!" It was Wu Guisheng again.

"You should write this down and report it to the relevant leaders and departments so that they can conduct a targeted investigation and verification," Tao Tang said to Yao Qiufa, who had been sitting silently in the corner.

"Boss Tao, this kind of thing happens a lot in the factory, and most of them have powerful backers. Doing it will offend a lot of people..." Master Qi said.

"President Tao just criticized you for being a pushover, and here you are again!" Wu Gui said angrily. "You've offended a minority, but the vast majority of people support President Tao, haven't they? What are we here for? Aren't we here to support President Tao? If any bastard dares to cause trouble for President Tao because of this, we'll confront that son of a bitch! I refuse to believe that there's really no law in Hongxing."

Yao Qiufa was a little nervous, pondering how to report this matter. He had a premonition that a storm was about to break out at Red Star, and he wondered how many people would lose their official positions in this storm.

(End of this chapter)