His Father Took on the Mess of Dealing with Laid-Off Workers

When they heard that the meeting concerned layoffs and factory closures, everyone on the provincial Party committee looked grim and began finding excuses to pass the responsibility elsewhere.

It was a thankless job. Do it well, and you were merely fulfilling your duties. Do it badly, and you would face endless trouble and offend plenty of people.

They would rather accomplish nothing than make a mistake.

Leaving aside examples from elsewhere in the country, Xichuan Province alone had experienced a wave of layoffs two years earlier. Several large factories had closed, and twenty thousand workers had been laid off.

Quite a few old hands, dissatisfied with their retirement compensation, had secretly stirred up trouble and instigated several protests, surrounding both the provincial Party committee and provincial government compounds.

It had made them a laughingstock and left everyone deeply embarrassed.

The official in charge that time had not only received a disciplinary sanction, but had also had his home vandalized several times by protesting workers. His whole family had been terrified, afraid even to sleep soundly at night.

They feared that one day, workers driven out of their minds would burn their house down.

Not to mention that some factories were full of people with family connections. Firing them would offend plenty of others.

These seasoned officials were all shrewd enough to know better than to wade into this mess. They either refused or played dead.

Not one of them responded to the secretary. Even those in his own faction played dead, turning their heads and pretending not to notice.

"This assignment came from above. If we fail to handle it properly, everyone's performance targets will suffer!"

Looking stern, the secretary tapped his teacup, intending to put some pressure on them.

This was an important assignment handed down from above. If they failed to carry it out properly, they would all be reprimanded.

Just then, the governor sitting to one side suddenly seemed to think of something. A smile immediately appeared on his previously expressionless face as he said:

"I've thought of an excellent candidate. He understands economics, commands considerable respect, and thinks on his feet. He recently organized a fundraising event that brought in over a million..."

"I'm sure you've all guessed who I mean! That's right, our newly appointed vice governor, Lin Jianguo! What does everyone think of this candidate?"

At the governor's suggestion, the others nodded, clearly tempted.

Better someone else take the fall than them.

Whether in terms of standing, position, background, or any other qualification, Lin Jianguo was well suited to handling the laid-off workers.

But they still had their reservations. What if Lin Jianguo became angry after they dumped this mess on him?

They all knew his background. If they truly offended him, few people in the room would come out unscathed.

So they remained hesitant, and no one volunteered to voice their support.

The room fell silent again.

The governor, seated in the second-ranking position, kept signaling his allies with his eyes, urging them to back him and hand this headache to Lin Jianguo.

But his allies had not reached their current positions by being fools.

The governor had the backing to dare offend Lin Jianguo. The rest of them were nowhere near that level. How could they dare support him?

"I also agree that Comrade Lin Jianguo should take responsibility for handling the workers' layoffs!"

After a brief silence, the deputy secretary, ranked third, raised his hand to vote in favor of the governor's proposal.

The others were slightly surprised by this.

The governor belonged to the local faction, while the deputy secretary belonged to the capital's faction. The secretary, meanwhile, was little more than a figurehead nearing retirement. Both men had a chance of succeeding him.

That was why they had been fighting so fiercely lately, obstructing each other, stealing credit for each other's achievements, and using every underhanded trick they could. Whatever one wanted to do, the other would oppose.

Yet this time, the leaders of the two factions had actually chosen to stand together.

Seated at the head of the table, the secretary looked somewhat awkward. The family backing him had always enjoyed good relations with the Lin Family and was one of its allies.

He had thought the deputy secretary would reject the governor's proposal, sparing him the need to intervene. Instead, the two had unexpectedly joined forces.

"Comrade Lin Jianguo has only just been promoted. He isn't familiar with this kind of work, nor is it his specialty. I suggest we choose someone else, someone with experience, more extensive experience..."

The secretary still tried to protect Lin Jianguo. Arranging for laid-off workers really was a troublesome business. If it went badly, disciplinary action was the least of his worries. Retaliation was the real danger.

"Heh, Secretary, that's not quite right. We all started without experience and worked our way up! You can't deny someone an opportunity to advance simply because he lacks experience!"

"Let's put it to a show of hands!"

"I support Comrade Lin Jianguo taking charge of this matter!"

The governor and deputy secretary exchanged a glance. The two old foxes had reached an understanding. Neither wanted a third faction to emerge in Xichuan Province, so they intended to squeeze Lin Jianguo out together.

The governor immediately called for a show of hands.

As soon as he raised his hand, the deputy secretary raised his as well. Their allies saw that both their leaders had voted in favor, and that the two forces were now working together against Lin Jianguo.

Their allies felt a little more reassured. With powerful patrons taking the brunt of it, there should not be any problems.

The others raised their hands one after another.

Eventually, seven of the nine standing committee members had raised their hands. Only the military district's XX and the secretary had abstained.

The military district's XX had abstained because of the Lin Family patriarch's standing. His influence within the military ranked among the very highest.

Most of the current military heavyweights had once been his protégés or subordinates.

The secretary's expression darkened at the sight. The provincial Party committee secretary-general was supposed to be one of his people, yet he had raised his hand without first obtaining his approval.

The secretary had never expected to be stripped of his authority before he had even retired. Not a single person on the standing committee supported him.

Feeling somewhat desolate, the secretary said nothing and tacitly accepted their decision.

There was nothing he could do. For the sake of organizational harmony, once everyone agreed, dissent would be seen as a failure to maintain unity.

He could not exercise his veto over something this minor.

"Good. Since everyone agrees, I hereby formally announce that Comrade Lin Jianguo will serve as head of the task force for handling laid-off workers..."

The governor smiled in satisfaction. Others might fear Lin Jianguo, but he did not. His father-in-law also held a position higher up.

The deputy secretary was not afraid either. He, too, had someone above backing him.

The two old foxes exchanged a glance and smiled in mutual understanding.

And so Lin Jianguo, who was busy overseeing the reinforcement of the dam, became head of the task force for handling laid-off workers without knowing a thing about it.

Only later did the secretary call to tell him. Otherwise, Lin Jianguo would have had no idea.

After hearing the news, Lin Jianguo sat stunned for quite some time.

He naturally knew how difficult it was to deal with laid-off workers.

The government had little money, and even less was available to compensate the workers.

And even if they received enough compensation, what were the laid-off workers supposed to do afterward? They numbered in the tens of thousands, representing tens of thousands of families.

If they had no jobs and no money to support their families, the consequences were easy to imagine.

Most factories were already fully staffed. What were those workers supposed to do?

"Please rest assured, Secretary. No matter how grueling or difficult this task is, I'll see it through properly..."

Although Lin Chao Ci was deeply troubled, he still accepted the assignment.