Negotiation, Probing, and the Core

Lin Qi sat at the table in a relaxed manner as the Labor Union President delivered a long opening speech, which was nothing more than the idea that society would be doomed if the workers were not saved. In short, it was very boring. People say the same thing every day, and no matter how much you emphasize it, it will not resonate with them.

After he had finished speaking, the chairman said, "We contacted the City Hall before. Mayor Landon and Mr. Ferral said that perhaps you could provide us with some assistance. If I may ask, is the kind of assistance they mentioned the kind I'm looking for?"

Lin Qi nodded, took out a pack of cigarettes, and gave a questioning look. After the chairman nodded in confirmation, he lit one.

"Bite"

The crisp, clear metallic vibration echoed in the room, lingering long after. Only when Lin Qi took a deep drag on his cigarette and closed the lighter cap did the long, resonant sound disappear from the room.

He sat with his legs crossed, his hand holding a cigarette resting on the edge of the conference table, slightly turned to the side.

This posture isn't exactly respectful in such a formal negotiation, but he did it anyway. Did he not know that? No, he did know; he was just testing the waters.

Many people who have never experienced negotiation are not aware that negotiation is not as simple as haggling at a roadside stall, where you call out a price and I call out a price, and then gradually move closer to seek a consensus.

Formal negotiations are not that simple; it's no exaggeration to call it a war, testing not only brainpower and energy, but also physical strength.

According to some unofficial records, the longest single negotiation lasted more than 20 hours, and there have been instances where the entire negotiation lasted for weeks or months.

In these negotiations, constantly probing each other's bottom line, acceptance level, and expected goals becomes the most crucial task. They don't stick to language but use various methods.

For example, Lin Qi's current inappropriate sitting posture, if the Labor Union's position and attitude are very tough, they might say something like, "Mr. Lin Qi doesn't seem ready for this negotiation yet, maybe we should reschedule," thus testing Lin Qi in return.

But without these, the Labor Union President, seeing him do this, merely raised an eyebrow and chuckled, "Scientists say smoking is bad for your health."

With just a word and an attitude, Lin Qi had already obtained some important intelligence: the Labor Union's attitude was not tough and its stance was not firm. In other words, the conditions they offered in writing were not their bottom line, and they could be further stripped away.

Lin Qi nodded slightly in acknowledgment, "Thank you for your kind offer, let's get down to business..."

He glanced at the cigarette in his hand, and someone immediately brought him Ashtray. He said thank you, flicked the ash, and then said, "What I gave you wasn't a job, it was an order. Do I need to explain?"

This statement was somewhat infuriating. The Labor Union's management frowned and exchanged bewildered glances, seemingly not understanding what Lin Qi was talking about. The union president, of course, smiled and affirmed Lin Qi's statement, "If you don't mind, please explain in more detail so we can understand it more thoroughly."

"I don't intend to hire any workers. As you all know, current Federal laws protect workers in a steel box, and this overprotection has created many problems."

"As far as I know, every factory's union branch has some workers who don't have to come to work. Their daily work is to sit in the office assigned to them by the factory, read newspapers, watch TV, play cards with others, or sleep."

This is a common phenomenon, but the union president has a different view. "Excuse me, Mr. Lin Qi, you seem to have some misunderstanding about our work."

"We also have daily work arrangements in each of our factory branches. The workers' representatives are responsible for handling these daily tasks, ensuring that the factory's production order is not affected by other factors, and resolving conflicts between workers and between workers and business owners when necessary."

"All companies that have established union branches are significantly more efficient than they were before establishing branches."

Lin Qi bluntly added, "And there will be even more trouble and more expenses!"

The interruption made the atmosphere in the room a little stiff. It is undeniable that Lin Qi's interruption was not wrong. Every factory that has established a workers' branch will require half a day each week to organize workers' activities, and it must be done on a weekday. The reason is that if it is done on the weekend, it will take up the workers' rest time, which is inhumane.

These workers rightfully enjoy half a day of relaxation each week, and they can even demand that their employers pay them for that half day; this is not considered absenteeism.

In addition, even meals are arranged and needs are met. From time to time, the union branches will encourage workers to confront the employers in order to fight for more benefits and advantages.

This often happens during the best years of the Federal economy, a time when people are deeply impressed by the saying "time is money." As a result, business owners will proactively increase various benefits to encourage workers to work as hard as before, so as not to affect production.

Therefore, Labor Union are not a very popular thing. They are not as nice as the Labor Union President make them out to be, at least from the perspective of capitalists.

Lin Qi was not a capitalist, but he was a businessman, and in this respect he took the stand of a businessman.

The two stared at each other for a moment. The chairman chuckled, a laugh that conveyed a sense of "you don't understand." He changed the subject, saying, "Let's talk about those orders instead."

Lin Qi nodded and flicked his cigarette ash. "I need someone to help me produce some clothes, accessories, blankets, leather shoes, or even other things that can be worn, for adults and children, for men and women, I need them all."

After listening, the union president nodded slightly. This was a large order. The reason was simple: for garment factories nowadays, producing thirty or fifty pieces was not enough for them to organize a single operation. Lin Qi was not a clueless young man; he certainly knew this as well.

If there are thousands or tens of thousands of items, a single item may not seem very impressive, but when all of them are put together, it becomes a large order.

At this point, the chairman was already planning in his mind which factory owner to introduce this order to. Of course, he was not so selfless. On the one hand, the Labor Union encouraged the workers to 《Resistance》 the capitalists, and on the other hand, it would stand on the capitalists' side to help them soothe the workers' emotions and get them back to their jobs.

Therefore, capitalists need to provide the Labor Union with some assistance within their means, such as writing a check.

The chairman will give the orders to whoever pays the most money or has the best personal relationship with them.

However, he overlooked one point: the matter was not that simple.

Sure enough, Lin Qi quickly added, "But this time, I plan to take a completely new approach, bypassing the factory production process and letting the workers create the profits directly, making them the primary beneficiaries."

The union president was taken aback. "Without the factory, how can we ensure the uniformity of production? And as far as I know, we don't seem to have this kind of employment method in our country..."

Lin Qi raised his palm and gestured, interrupting the chairman, "No, it's not an employment. I must remind you, Mr. Chairman, this is a collaboration."

"I believe there are many skilled sewing and jewelry-making workers in Sabine City who are currently unemployed..." The chairman nodded, and Lin Qi continued, "If I give the orders to the factories, and the factories then hire them, it adds an extra step, namely the factory."

"This also means that I need to reserve enough profit for the factory before it can start operating, which is obviously something I cannot afford. We all know that starting operations now is different from starting operations in the past; starting operations now means incurring losses."

"Then why don't we skip this step and just have me and the workers benchmark against each other?" Lin Qi stubbed out his cigarette in the Ashtray. He took a sip of his coffee, the smell of the cigarette mixed with the aroma of the coffee, creating a flavor that women would find extremely unpleasant, but for men, it was quite unique.

"The workers spontaneously formed small family-run workshops. I gave them orders, and the more they produced, the more money they earned. If they didn't want to produce, then I didn't need to incur any extra expenses."

"The more you work, the more you earn, Mr. Chairman. I will pay them based on the number of qualified items they complete. Without the factory, the workers will receive more pay, and I will also reduce costs. This is my proposal."

He shifted his posture and continued to look at the people opposite him.

The people whispered among themselves, seemingly confused by what Lin Qi had said. Some didn't even know what Lin Qi had said, but they instinctively felt that something was wrong.

Without factories, there is no room for unions to intervene. Without the intervention of unions, it is impossible to demonstrate the role of Labor Union in society and their value to capitalists and workers, which is inconsistent with the purpose of unions! It is difficult to reach a conclusion through discussion at this time. The chairman later said, "We have never dealt with these things before. We need time to discuss and talk before we can give you an accurate answer."

"But before the results are in, may I ask a question that's been bothering me?"

Lin Qi nodded. "Of course, that's why we're sitting here."

The chairman maintained his smile, but his eyes shifted slightly. "In your description just now, I don't seem to see what we're talking about. Does the Labor Union also play some kind of role in this?"