Chapter 438 Strike

In Lambada Village, hundreds of villagers are gathering under palm trees.

A big man with a rough face stood in front of the crowd, spitting and talking.

He looked excited, and his words were full of allure. The villagers below were sometimes hesitant, sometimes excited.

It was not until more than half an hour had passed that the big man looked down with a burning gaze.

"What do you think of this plan?"

"Mi Xin, can the union really work?"

"Of course, Nambiya is the only one in charge of the factory now. The security guards were all new in the past year and don't know anything."

"But we organized a union more than a decade ago, but not only did it fail, many people lost their jobs."

"Idiot, this time is different. The boss is from out of town. He has no connections with the local police, let alone any officials. This is our territory, we have the final say!"

As soon as Mi Xin finished speaking, a whisper broke out from the audience. Everyone realized that this might really be an opportunity.

"I've already met with someone from the Federation of Trade Unions. He promised to send people to support us as long as we go on strike. He will then force the factory to make concessions and recognize our union."

"People from the Federation of Trade Unions?" The discussion below became louder.

"That's right, as long as our legal union is established, we can negotiate with the factory and ask them to raise wages! If they don't agree, then we will continue the strike!" Mi Xin waved his hand domineeringly.

Wow! The discussion below is even more lively.

The word "salary increase" was like a weed, making everyone's head dizzy and their faces flushed.

"Mi Xin, are we just going to rely on ourselves?" someone asked.

"We have more than 300 people. If we persuade some outsiders, we can gather at least 500 to 600 people!" Mi Xin waved his hand very imposingly.

When everyone saw this, they started to cheer. This number was already very large, almost accounting for half of the workers in the steel plant.

"Those remaining guys are cowards. If we go on strike, they'll definitely go into hiding long ago. Besides, this is also a good thing for them. No one will be stupid enough to oppose us."

Mi Xin was very confident, having already considered all possible scenarios. No matter how he calculated it, his side had a huge advantage.

"What if those Malda people cause trouble?" A voice suddenly sounded.

The noise at the scene fell silent. The Malda people's bad reputation was well known to everyone in the Kusir area.

In previous strikes, the Malda workers were a very important factor in the factory owners' victory every time.

They will use all kinds of methods to disrupt the strike and have no shame at all.

For the Lambas, the biggest enemy of the strike was not the factory owner or the manager, Nambiar, but the Malda labourers.

The villagers all looked at Mi Xin. It was very troublesome to deal with those guys who had no bottom line.

"I have a solution!" Mi Xin's eyes rolled, "The biggest enemy of those untouchables is food."

"food?"

"Yes, plenty of food, good food, and plenty of fanny."

The people of Malda were so poor that they could hardly have a full meal. If they were suddenly presented with fine wine, they would eat and drink until they were drunk.

Everyone approved of Mi Xin's method because if they were in his place, they might also be fooled.

So the people of Lambada Village began to take action. They took out the treasures stored in their homes and even raised funds to buy a lot of cheap liquor.

In the evening, led by Mi Xin, the villagers visited the cabin where the Malda workers lived.

Unexpectedly, the Malda worker had already lay down first.

There were food scraps and fallen empty wine bottles all over the floor.

Mi Xin and the others were a little confused. It seemed that someone had completed the task for them first?

These soundly sleeping Malda people looked like they had just eaten and drunk their fill. They had not had so much food and wine in a long time.

Mi Xin looked at the bottle of wine in his hand. It was filled with something, which could provide them with two days and two nights of sleep, but now it seemed that it was useless.

Forget it, as long as the Malda people don’t cause trouble.

After unexpectedly defeating the toughest opponent, Mi Xin went overnight to persuade the migrant workers from other places whom he was familiar with.

Things went very smoothly. Mi Xin didn't even need to explain the situation to them or appeal to their emotions before they all expressed their willingness to respond to his strike.

It was so weird. After coming out of the workers' quarters, Mi Xin kept scratching his head.

Although these guys don't usually go against me, they never give me a good face.

Why are you so enthusiastic today? It’s as if... you are deliberately trying to please me.

Mi Xin shook his head. He believed that the workers had suffered in the steel plant for a long time, and now it was time for them to rise up.

What Mi Xin didn't know was that shortly after he left, someone secretly went out to tip off the enemy.

Strike pay raise? No one would believe that!

As migrant workers from other places, they did not even have the courage to tell the government inspectors the truth, for fear of losing their jobs.

Moreover, the great Mr. Sur had already given them a raise, several hundred rupees more than before.

Even two sets of work clothes were distributed at a time, and the extra ones could be used for changing.

Towels, rubber slippers, gloves... Not to mention these small items, almost everyone can apply for them.

It was such a blessing! The workers had never encountered such a good thing before.

The two seemingly simple work clothes are the clothes that allow them to cover their bodies.

They have no money and are reluctant to spend it on clothes, so they usually rely on tattered work clothes to survive.

When I get back to the dormitory after get off work, I just go naked to save money and trouble.

When the previous factory owner was in office, these workers only received work clothes on their first day at work, and they were used by others.

I was never reissued anything after that, and had to pay for all my expenses out of my own pocket.

It was only after Mr. Suhr came that the workers realized they could enjoy so many benefits.

If you use those gloves and rubber slippers sparingly, you can exchange them for some money at the market.

The most important thing is that Mr. Sur also plans to build a new dormitory for them, a beautiful dormitory that looks like an apartment.

The news came from Pradeep, a fire-cutter who did the hardest work and was highly respected among the workers.

The middleman Sarkar also confirmed the news, and even the security chief Karthik was talking about it.

This is great. Which worker doesn’t want his or her dormitory to feel like a real home?

But! Now someone wants to destroy this beautiful vision!

Someone wants to stop the great Mr. Soul from bringing a better life to the workers.

They want to go on strike! They want to destroy everything with their own hands!

Everyone knew that a strike would mark a formal break between Mr. Soul and the workers.

Countless experiences have taught them that workers often do not end up well.

They were content; Mr. Soule was kinder than any previous factory owner.

They will not allow their beautiful dormitory to die in the womb. Whoever messes it up will be their enemy.

Mr. Devaram is right. We must distinguish between enemies and friends.

Then secretly write it down and catch them all in one fell swoop.

Pradip the Fireman has assured that he will take care of the traitors.

He is the strongest worker in the factory and no one can stand up to him.

…

The night before the strike, Mi Xin had been leading the villagers of Lambada around.

They thought they had secured all the workers, so they gathered at the palm tree in the morning with great excitement, ready to do something big.

You know what, these villagers' posture looks quite realistic.

Some held signs with strike slogans on them, while others held banners with catchy slogans on them.

Most of the people were strong-armed, either with bare hands or with bamboo sticks, and they looked like they were united in their hatred of the enemy.

Mi Xin looked at all this with great satisfaction, and suddenly felt a sense of ambition in his heart.

With these two or three hundred people here, why worry about not being able to accomplish great things?

We will call on those people we persuaded last night later, and their strength will be even greater.

"Let's go!" He waved his hand and led the villagers towards the village entrance.

There is an old road that leads directly to the factory, which can be reached in just ten minutes.

But as soon as the group walked out of the village, they had to stop.

Before them stood an even larger crowd, numbering over a thousand. The sight of it was a sea of ​​blackness, terrifying to the very sight of it.

The villagers were slightly agitated as they recognized the leaders.

The tall fireman Pushdeep, Karthik in security uniform and others are very eye-catching.

Especially the dozen or so security guards, each of them carrying a copper-covered bamboo stick, made the villagers' calves tremble uncontrollably.

Damn it! And those Malda laborers, they were clearly drunk and unconscious last night, why are they all so energetic now?

Look at their excited eyes, they seem ready to pounce and have a great fight at any time.

Little did they know that the Malda people had already been bribed. Yesterday's feast was just an advance on their wages.

As for thugs, it all depends on who offers the higher price.

Of course, the "equal treatment" promised by Devaram was a condition that the people of Malda could hardly refuse.

They are so eager to be recognized, even if it is only superficial.

As long as this job is done well, the people of Malda will never have to worry about food again, and they are all very enthusiastic.

However, the most intimidating force was the security guards, who often used their power to bully others. Workers were subjected to body searches every time they left the factory. If anyone resisted, they would be met with six blows per second.

"Pushdeep, Karthik, what are you...what are you doing?" Mi Xin was also a little scared.

"What for? Of course I'm here to recruit you." Kasik pointed at his nose with a bamboo stick.

"Are you going to go to war with the Lambada?"

"Bah! You're really brave, gathering a crowd to cause trouble and trying to disrupt the factory's production!"

"You're talking nonsense! I didn't, I didn't!" Mi Xin shook his head repeatedly.

"Then tell me, what are the Lambada people planning to do?"

Mi Xin was speechless for a moment. He couldn't say that he was going on strike.

The "strike" cannot be carried out without the support of workers.

As a result, those who agreed to respond to the strike yesterday are standing on the opposite side today.

This caught Mi Xin off guard, and he realized that things were going wrong.

A strike without workers' support would just be a mass disturbance.

But now that it has come to this, Mi Xin has no choice but to retreat.

"The work at the steel mill is too hard and dangerous. We only get a little over 3,000 rupees a month. We need more pay!"

"Yes, more money! More money!" Shouts came from two or three behind him.

Mi Xin unconsciously glanced back twice. The momentum of these good-for-nothings was much weaker than at the beginning.

The signs with slogans on them were put down, and some people even hid behind them unconsciously.

What about the agreement to advance and retreat together?

"More pay?" Pushdeep sneered, "You greedy fellows! The great Mr. Sur has already offered us a raise, and you're still not satisfied?

The factory owners before us have never treated us like this. Your shameless actions will only hurt Mr. Soul's trust in us. We will never allow the planned workers' dormitory to be destroyed by you!"

Pushdeep rushed forward, brandishing his stick, followed closely by Karthik and his security detail, who were experts at this sort of thing.

With someone taking the lead, the morale of other workers also increased greatly.

Pushdeep was right. We must not allow this rabble to destroy Mr. Sur's trust in everyone.

(End of this chapter)