Chapter 109: The Light of Society

After seeing off Liao Enxu, Zheng Yu met with another important person without stopping.

A 36-year-old member of the Central Committee of the Party of China, an apprentice from Guangzhou, was later selected to study in France and has a lot of research on European labor-management relations. He is known as one of the experts in labor-management issues within the Party of China. Zhou Minggen, who is the leader of the labor-management group under the base camp economic group, is talking about it:

“…Through the mandatory constraints of the wartime control system, the average working hours of workers in non-royal industrial enterprises under the control have dropped to ten hours, with two shifts being implemented and three shifts being implemented.”

"Wages are given basic wages based on labor hours and then piece-based wages based on the quantity of qualified products. Military representatives from each factory directly intervened in labor-management relations. According to the research situation, the base camp's instructions limited the minimum wage. Now, on average, the average monthly net income of male adult workers has reached 5 points Huayuan, and female workers have reached... Huayuan."

"Because a large number of adult men join the army or join the military service team, the production tasks of each factory are very heavy, and the base camp will be issued a ticket, so they all recognize high wages, and the workers' food and accommodation conditions have been greatly improved. Major banks have provided preferential loans to workers' collective dormitories, water and electricity, unified work uniforms, gloves, socks, underwear, underwear, all of which are tendered..."

"...There are insufficient male workers, a large number of women entered the factory to work and work very seriously. The unions of each factory also absorbed female members and female union members. The workers were full of purses and were motivated. In order to get more piece-based wages, they began to think about their own links, improve labor technology and improve technology, and many suggestions were adopted."

"…The mandatory social security of workers in each factory has been basically completed under the wartime control. All factories are paying insurance premiums according to regulations, mainly medical care and pension. Now the average monthly payment is 0.5 Huayuan, and the capital and workers each bear half of the burden, and the government subsidizes 0.5 Huayuan."

"...The response of the amendment to the Income Tax Law is good. The tax exemption bottom line has reached 80 Huayuan per year, and the progressive tax system is implemented beyond the part. Workers are very welcome, but the investors have some opinions and think they have suffered a loss..."

"...The capitalists generally have a big opinion, mainly because the bottom line of workers' wages is relatively high, labor resources are somewhat scarce, and the base camp has put a heavy burden on the task. However, they are still satisfied with government orders, sufficient quantity, and reasonable prices, at least they guarantee their basic profits. However, many people are worried about how to digest the expanded production capacity once the war is over in the future and how to arrange these workers."

"... In the mining industry, 50% of the key mines have built hot water shower facilities, and others are also being built. Many mines have responded well in this area. On the one hand, the interest rates provided by banks are indeed very low, and on the other hand, the workers are more motivated, the disease and hygiene problems have improved greatly, and their attitude towards the mine has also improved greatly. Overall, it is actually still cost-effective."

"...In terms of textiles, some investors have begun to worry that the domestic capital has occupied too much production capacity, and some orders outside will not lose the market, and they are afraid that they will expand the production capacity now and cannot digest the future market. Workers also have similar doubts, fearing that they will recruit workers now and lay off workers in the future. Although many people have more money in their pockets, they are reluctant to settle down. If they really can't do it, they have to go home to get the meal of their parents and brothers, and actually do long-term work. "

"...The labor force is scarce among the farm workers, and many workers complain that the intensity is too high and the wages cannot be achieved. Farms have to purchase agricultural machinery on a large scale, including ours, as well as corn self-hardeners and hay cutting machines imported from the United States International Combined Harvester Company. Now many farms in North China have begun to try combined harvesters, but there are many problems and manufacturers are correcting them..."

...

Zheng Yu listened one by one, Yang Yongtai and Ke Shan beside him, Wang Minghan who came to report, and Song Jiaoren who was coming to be a personal journalist from Liu Dingyi.

After finally finishing a long discussion, Zheng Yu got up and brought Zhou Minggen a cup of tea with a smile. Zhou Minggen hurriedly got up and said he didn't dare.

"It's nothing, Minggen, this is what you deserve." Zheng Yu said with a smile, "The labor and capital team has made outstanding achievements in the past six months, which is what everyone sees. Without you coordinating the labor and capital sides behind and tapping the potential of the industrial and agricultural system, there will be no victory today. The front and rear are not important to the size of the credit. If you ask me, your credit will not be able to escape from one first-class Suzaku."

Zhou Minggen was delighted, but he also said thanked him repeatedly.

"Minggen, what plans does the labor and management team have next?"

Zhou Minggen calmed down: "The labor and capital team's next major work, in addition to continuing to deepen and institutionalize the previous labor security system, and selectively promoting it to the society, has three tasks: First, integrate national labor resources, prepare to deal with the post-war economic transition, and avoid wasting skilled labor; Second, further explore surplus labor resources in rural and urban areas, reduce unemployment and hidden unemployment, and also minimize the loss of structural unemployment; Third, further promote the strengthening of labor cultural education, mainly through workers' classrooms, cultural crash courses, etc., to improve the cultural level of workers and strengthen their awareness of rights protection."

"Well said." Zheng Yu nodded in praise, "These are all careers that have been made for the future. Minggen, you... I agree with it."

Zhou Minggen was naturally full of pride.

He was one of the biggest beneficiaries of the changes in the Party-level changes in the Beijing Incident, and was also a period of promotion in his career in his prime. He did things well, so he was naturally full of the thought of doing something big and famous in history. Seeing that his plan was recognized by the highest power, it is certainly impossible to say he was not proud or excited.

"Mingen, when you were in France, you attended the Paris branch of the Second International? Are you familiar with Rafag?"

Zheng Yu suddenly asked casually.

"yes."

Although Zhou Minggen was not sure about this, he was not surprised. This history was originally open, and Zheng Ying had never shown too deep hostility to the international socialist movement.

"What do you think of the Second International? What do you think of the revisionist dispute between Bernstein, Beber, Plekhanov and Kautsky?" Zheng Yu asked with a smile, "I heard that the European socialist movement has become a mess... Which faction do you support more? Or no one supports it?"

Zhou Minggen felt a little moved and couldn't help but look at the young emperor a few more times. He hesitated for a moment, and he said cautiously: "There is actually no very unified view on socialism, but the general view is to achieve social fairness as the main purpose. I have always opposed Blankey's assault violence, advocated the path of gradual improvement, and adopted labor-capital cooperation, advocated the use of the rule of law and parliamentary politics to solve problems, and restricted the control of capital over the country through the dominance of the economy through state-owned system."

Zheng Yu took a sip of tea and listened quietly.

"Engels has always advocated peaceful struggles and hoped to achieve a smooth transition from capitalism. I think this is reasonable." Zhou Minggen continued, "The late emperor had a discussion with me in Japan, proposing that any so-called thorough movement often brings no welfare, and in the long run, it is not as good as achieving the compromise between ideals and reality, reform and conservative compromise in a so-called incomplete way."

"Currently, European socialism is roughly divided into violence and peace struggles according to the way of struggle. The former is represented by the Russian Social-Democratic Labor Party, and the latter is represented by Bernstein of Germany and Jaules of France. There are many people who oppose cooperation with the bourgeois government on the one hand, and on the other hand, they have to bow to reality, and do not publicly advocate violent struggles, such as Gede, Kautsky and others. These people are actually gradually turning to the Bernstein and Jaules routes." Zhou Minggen said, "If we look at the current situation, the European socialist movement, or the Second International, is gradually turning to the direction of parliamentary struggles. In other words, it is generally moving towards the revisionism or democratic socialist routes proposed by Bernstein."

"Bernstein put forward many meaningful views in "The Prerequisites of Socialism and the Task of Social Democratic Party", for example, he proposed that democracy is a means to fight for socialism and a form of realizing socialism. Without democracy, there would be no socialism. He proposed that capitalist society is different from all other social systems, and it does not require violence to destroy it to build a new social system. He believes that capitalist society has the ability to regenerate itself, but social democrats need to continue to develop it through active organization and action to gradually realize socialism. He also believes that socialism is not a specific social model, but a social process, and socialism does not have a final stage, and it is always progressing."

"The coming of socialism may be, not the result of a huge political battle, but the result of a whole batch of economic and political victory achieved by the working class in all aspects of its activities. It is not the result of the great increase in oppression, poverty and humiliation of the workers, but the result of their growing social impact and the relative improvements of economic, political, general social and morality that they have fought for." Zhou Minggen said in a turbulent manner, "'I think socialist society is not born from chaos, but the combination of the creation and achievements of the workers in the free economy and the creation and achievements of the fighting democracy in the state and local autonomous institutions. Through all the convulsions and all struggles of the reactionary forces, I see that the class struggle itself takes an increasingly civilized form, and I regard the civilization of the class struggle, that is, the political and economic struggle of the workers as the best guarantee for the realization of socialism.'"

"This is the sentence that Bernstein admires the most. I think these views make sense," said Zhou Minggen. "Of course, he also has some views that need to be considered, such as he believes that democracy itself is the purpose, and that the bourgeoisie and the proletariat are two similar forces, and should cooperate to promote development, etc.."

Zheng Yu nodded and fell silent again.

"Minggen, what kind of interests do you think the Baath Party represents?"

Suddenly, Zheng Yu asked a question without hesitation.

Zhou Minggen was stunned and subconsciously replied: "The fundamental interests of the country and the nation..."

Zheng Yu looked at him for a while and nodded: "Then you say, as far as the labor and capitalist parties are concerned, are their interests consistent or different."

"I want to listen to the truth, not the slogan." Zheng Yu stared at Zhou Minggen with a serious expression, "It's your heart."

Zhou Minggen was silent for a while and said, "The interests of both labor and capital parties are in conflict, but there is also a unified side. It is precisely because there are conflicts that a labor-management group mediation relationship must be established. To be unified, it is because the factory has good benefits, so that workers can be given wages and can benefit."

Zheng Yu nodded without comment and asked again: "Then, who do you think the voter base of the Baath Party is?"

Zhou Minggen was silent for a moment: "Yes... According to the Imperial Election Law, only adult male citizens who pay an annual tax of 50 Huayuan have the right to vote and be elected. They either have served in the military and have an annual tax of 20 Huayuan, or have donated more than 500 Huayuan at one time to the Empire. In this way, the voter base of the Baxing Party is mainly high-income technical workers, farmers with more land, officers and non-commissioned officers, urban middle class, officials, etc. The lower-class workers and farmers... are relatively few."

Zheng Yu looked at him and his tone became more and more serious: "Minggen, then do you think that the Baxing Party members elected by these people serve their voter base or those appointed by the Baxing Party government, should they serve their voter base or not their voter base, such as the lower-class workers and poor farmers."

Zhou Minggen was silent for a while and said, "Although the interests of each other are different, the Baxing Party formulates policies from the overall perspective. At least at the central level, there is no situation where it is too focused on one side. For example, the establishment of a social security system that you advocated before has also been supported."

"That was forced by the situation and the role of the soldiers in my hands." Zheng Yu shook his head, "Minggen, don't underestimate the power of tradition, let alone under the driving force of interests. I know that many people regard my advocated social security as a gust of wind. Even the minimum wage, maximum working time, improvement of labor conditions, medical and pension insurance payments, etc., which are forced to be implemented under the wartime economic control system, are also regarded by them as stopgap measures in the war period."

"They think that when the war is over, the gust of wind will pass. Because the Baath Party was voted by them and they paid taxes. Their parents and children, including themselves, are all in this party. They have close relationships with each other, and they respond to each other, and the layers of relationship networks below are not clear."

"The tradition of this country is to follow the rules as long as it can be followed. Until society collapses, it may be forced to carry out some improvements, but it is often urgent, changing the soup but not changing the medicine. And as we walk, we often return to the old path. This is our traditional culture, respecting heaven and law, ancestors become law first, harmony and stability are the first. Anyway, you are a servant, you have to accept your fate. The boss is everyone, and treating you well is the heart of others. Everything is based on morality and there is no reason."

Zheng Yu stared at Zhou Minggen and asked word by word: "Minggen, you have done so many things. Do you hope to come back after a gust of wind, or do you want to really change this country and society, so that these lower-class people can live like human beings, and that they and the employers can really have the qualifications to have equal dialogue?"

Zhou Minggen said almost without hesitation: "Of course it can't be a gust of wind... I did it just for a long-term solution, and wanted to fix these things with systems and laws, so that workers themselves can strive for fair and reasonable interests through organizations and systems."

"Okay." Zheng Yu nodded with a serious expression, "Then tell me how this set of wartime system implementation and experimentation can become a long-term system and ensure that it does not deteriorate for a long time?"

"Legislation." Zhou Minggen said without hesitation, "pass Congress legislation to keep all this alive."

"How to ensure that legislation is not modified in the future and becomes something that is beneficial to the investors? You should know that the members of the parliament are mainly in the class, and they care more about their rights and interests than the lower-level people." Zheng Yu shook his head, "Some of the improvements are for the national war, and because of my strong push, and even more because of the unchangeable situation, it is very likely that the lower-level people will not survive and will fight violently. But if the lower-level people are full and are unwilling to risk their lives to make trouble, who will care about them?"

Zhou Minggen was stunned.

"If I get old and disappear one day, can these legislations get rid of the political remnant of people?" Zheng Yu stared at Zhou Minggen, "In other words, I am the emperor of all the people, not just a certain class. National legislation also has its own procedures, and I cannot interfere. These laws, from drafting to revision to implementation, and then to the continuous revision and preservation, are controlled by people from the middle class. Do you think they are considering protecting the interests of the middle class, just getting some small favors to avoid the trouble at the bottom class affecting their own interests, or are they really considering the problems from the bottom class?"

Zhou Minggen was silent for a while and finally sighed: "They... probably for their own benefit."

"That's it." Zheng Yu nodded, "Since that's the case, the Baath Party, in the final analysis, has fallen on the side of the middle class when society is seriously divided. Especially when the interests of the bottom and middle class conflict, their choices do not need to be doubted at all, right? Nothing wrong."

"……yes."

"Then why do you expect these bills to protect the rights and interests of labor, and it is likely to be a bill that will continue to improve the scope of protection on the basis of food and clothing, so that the economic, political and cultural status of labor will become higher and higher," Zheng Yu stared at Zhou Minggen, "Can you go all the way within the government and parliamentary system controlled by the Baath Party?
Chapter completed!