Labor Protection Act

Chapter 17: Labor Protection Act

The nobles were making their moves, and the capitalists naturally hadn't been idle either. They had always styled themselves as reformers, so the sudden change in their roles left many of them deeply uncomfortable.

A banquet was being held at an estate in Vienna. Most of the guests were Austrian capitalists, though there was no shortage of experts and scholars among them.

"Mr. Veris, public opinion is very much against us now. Many people are denouncing us as greedy and profit-hungry. If we don't act, the enemy's scheme will succeed!"

"Exactly. They're all very good at talking from the comfort of their own positions, without considering the reality of the situation. Competition is so fierce now, and our profit margins are already razor-thin!"

"Right! We make so little profit, and the market is always changing. We could be making money today and losing it tomorrow. We also have to keep investing to expand production. It's already a struggle just to keep the workers fed!

Where are we supposed to find the money to improve their conditions? If there's a Labor Protection Act that gives all the profits to the workers, won't all our hard work have been for nothing?

Who'll invest in industry then? These nobles lie around making money all day and can think of nothing but underhanded schemes!"

The highly respected Veris spoke up. "Enough, gentlemen. We all understand these problems. At a time like this, we must stand together and show the enemy our strength!

The Labor Protection Act must never be allowed to pass. If we give in once, there'll be a second time. If we make concessions, the enemy will keep pressing us.

The nobles want to strangle us. They don't dare attack us directly, so they've come up with this insidious scheme.

Don't be fooled. The Labor Protection Act may require us to take only a small step back, but once the enemy's ambitions are allowed to succeed, they'll keep inciting the workers to rise up against us.

In the end, they'll use high labor costs to drive us into decline, ensuring their lofty positions remain unshaken!"

"Mr. Veris, what should we do now? The nobles control the government, after all. Many of us have probably already used our influence to lobby the government, but things still aren't looking good!"

Veris sneered. "Mr. Trios, you're right. The nobles control the government. How could our petitions possibly have any effect?

Why have the nobles proposed the Labor Protection Act? Could it be that their hearts have suddenly overflowed with compassion? If so, why don't they free the serfs?"

That was true. Why had the nobles suddenly grown so kind?

They were all old foxes, and it took only a word for them to see the heart of the matter. In no time, they had come up with several explanations.

For example, it could be an attempt to divert everyone's attention and shift the focus of reform toward workers' welfare; or it could be revenge by the noble class against the bourgeoisie for demanding the abolition of serfdom...

"Mr. Veris, are you saying we should just carry on with our own plans?" Trios asked uncertainly.

Veris said indignantly, "Exactly. We can't let the enemy lead us by the nose. The nobles' main purpose in proposing the Labor Protection Act is to force us to make concessions.

But can we afford to give in?

Take one step back, and we'll plunge into an abyss!

What matters most now is exposing the enemy's sinister ambitions and winning more people over to our side. Only then can we claim the final victory!"

"But Mr. Veris, the enemy caught us completely off guard. Public opinion is very much against us, and many neutral parties have sided with them on this issue!" Ham asked with a frown.

Veris's expression changed. He knew he hadn't quite earned the respect of everyone as their leader, and Ham was one of his challengers. The question seemed perfectly reasonable on the surface, but there was a hidden blade behind it.

"Mr. Ham, I think this is a simple enough matter that it shouldn't pose a problem for anyone here. Isn't it easy to persuade them?

Buy off some of them and have them speak for us; get rid of the stubborn ones and pin it on the secret police. It's not as if this would be the first time any of us have done something like that!"

It no longer mattered what was right or wrong. Public opinion could be manipulated too. Everyone was fighting for profit, and the capitalists didn't want to give up what they had already gained—not even if it meant the government made concessions elsewhere.

They wanted to gain without giving anything up. That was the nature of capitalists. They might be weak in other matters, but when their own interests were at stake, they could unleash twelve times their usual fighting spirit.

Now that Veris had laid things bare, they could drop their gentlemanly airs. Austria would soon find out what capitalists were capable of.

The capitalists were formidable opponents, at least when it came to influencing public opinion. They were much stronger than the nobles. If the press censorship system hadn't unfairly tilted the scales in the nobles' favor, public opinion would already have been completely turned around.

Franz glanced at the intelligence report in his hands and couldn't even be bothered to complain. The conservative nobles had made a truly dismal showing in this round of fighting.

The first people the capitalists misled were the students. The University of Vienna fell first, and many people thought the government had fabricated the whole thing.

Whether they truly believed it or were only pretending, Franz didn't know. What he did know was that many people had been bought off by the capitalists.

Franz instructed, "Tyrone, give Archduke Louis a hint. Make sure they uncover the bourgeoisie's scheme and get the Labor Protection Act passed as soon as possible!"

The best course now was to establish a fait accompli while the capitalists were counterattacking.

Franz couldn't be bothered to get involved in the details of the Labor Protection Act. He knew the nobles wanted revenge on the bourgeoisie, so the law's provisions would be highly unfavorable to the capitalists.

Franz couldn't be bothered to manage the ties between the intelligence service and the nobles either. He had to admit that he'd overestimated this bunch of rotten aristocrats.

They controlled the government, after all. Yet they had failed to pass a mere bill, even after several months, despite the bourgeoisie's influence.

Time rushed by. After several months of arguments and wrangling, history finally turned a new page on November 21, 1847. The Austrian Empire's first Labor Protection Act was unveiled with a bang.

The Labor Protection Act stipulated:

1. Starting March 1, 1848, Austria would implement an eight-hour workday. Workers could choose whether or not to work overtime. (Capitalists could not reduce their wages as a result, and overtime had to be paid.)

2. Local governments would set minimum wage standards in the near future. All factories operating within Austria would be required to comply with the regulations.

3. Workers' compensation regulations would be implemented, with the government to announce the specific measures in the near future.

4. Unjustified wage deductions and delayed wage payments were prohibited. Violators would be required to pay compensation of at least ten times the amount owed, and the commercial and industrial authorities would impose fines according to the severity of the offense.