"Employee fundraising?"
These four words exploded like a thunderclap in the deathly silent conference room, making everyone's eardrums buzz. After a brief silence, an uproar and questioning erupted, almost lifting the roof off.
"Comrade Liu Li! Do you know what you're saying?!" Old Chen, the deputy factory director in charge of logistics, was the first to slam his fist on the table, his face flushed red. "Making the workers raise funds? What kind of behavior is this! We are a state-owned factory, not a workshop from the old society! How can we use the workers' hard-earned money to fill the factory's holes? If this gets out, what will people think!"
“Yes! The risk is too great! The workers’ savings are all earned through hard work. What if... what if the new product still doesn’t sell? This money will be wasted. How can we explain this to all the factory workers? That would cause a huge mess!” Another committee member’s voice changed, filled with fear.
"Isn't this against policy? Won't it be criticized by higher authorities for arbitrary allocation and capitalist fundraising?" Some people raised deeper concerns from a political perspective.
The meeting room was filled with a cacophony of opposition, doubts, and concerns, almost unanimously creating a chorus of voices. Even the leaders who had previously supported Liu Li's reforms now looked troubled and remained silent. The proposal was too shocking, exceeding their psychological limits.
Faced with a torrent of criticism, Liu Li remained completely calm. She knew this was a do-or-die situation, and she had to convince everyone with the clearest logic and the most pragmatic approach.
She stood up, and without raising her voice, she used an exceptionally clear and steady tone to overcome the noise:
"Distinguished leaders, please let me finish speaking!"
Their gazes returned to her, filled with surprise, scrutiny, and even a hint of pity for a madwoman.
"I know this proposal is bold, and I know what everyone is worried about." Liu Li looked around at everyone, her tone sincere and firm. "But please think about it, do we have any other way to go? The banks are closed, the higher-ups are powerless, and if we just sit and wait, we'll only face certain death! The new product is our only visible hope. Are we really going to let all our previous efforts go to waste and let thousands of people in the factory starve just because we're short of money at the last minute?"
Her words were like a cold knife, dissecting the bloody reality and sending chills down the spines of everyone present.
“Yes, the workers’ money is their hard-earned money, so it should be used wisely, on things that can bring us hope for survival!” Liu Li walked to the front of the conference room, picked up a piece of chalk, and began to write quickly on the small blackboard that had been filled with cost data.
"This is not a pointless risk; it's an investment with a clear objective, a specific product, and market validation!" she said as she wrote. "We're not letting workers pay for nothing; we can design it as a kind of 'targeted fundraising'!"
She wrote a few keywords on the blackboard:
"First, the principle of voluntariness. There will be no coercion; it will be entirely based on the employees' confidence in the factory and the project, as well as their personal wishes."
"Second, the purpose must be clearly defined. The funds raised must be used specifically for small-batch trial production and initial market promotion of new products, and the destination of every penny must be made public."
"Third, we share the risks and the benefits." She wrote this down heavily. "We can promise that once the new product becomes profitable, we will prioritize repaying the principal of the funds raised, and we will also allocate a certain percentage of the profits as 'dividends' to the employees who participated in the fundraising! This is not a donation, this is an investment! It is the workers using their own money to fight for a way out for themselves and for the future of the factory!"
The word "profit sharing?" caused another stir. In the context of the time, it was a sensitive term that was almost synonymous with "capitalism."
“Yes, profit sharing!” Liu Li said without hesitation. “More work, more pay; investing capital and participating in profit distribution—this aligns with the spirit of the reforms we are currently promoting, and it also conforms to the central government’s guiding principle of ‘linking the success or failure of a company with the material interests of its employees!’ Only in this way can workers truly feel that they are working for themselves, and only in this way can we truly mobilize everyone’s enthusiasm!”
She put down the chalk, her eyes fixed intently on the factory director and the Party Secretary: "Director, Secretary, this is the last straw we can grasp! We need start-up capital. The workers want the factory to thrive and hope their investment will pay off. This is the only way to break the deadlock right now! I believe that as long as we are honest and explain the product's prospects, our plan, and the risks and returns, some far-sighted employees who care about the factory will be willing to take this gamble with us!"
Silence fell again in the meeting room, but this silence was different from before. It contained less despair and more intense internal struggle and weighing of options. Liu Li's proposal had broken down a seemingly impossible option, presenting a feasible solution that, though fraught with difficulties, offered a glimpse of a clear path forward.
All eyes turned to the factory director and the Party secretary once again. This decision was more difficult than whether to transform the factory; it involved whether all the factory workers could be mobilized to risk their lives in this do-or-die gamble.
The old factory director looked at the glaring yet tempting words on the blackboard—"voluntary fundraising" and "profit sharing"—and then at Liu Li's eyes, which were shining with an intense longing. His clenched fists trembled slightly.
In dire straits, this seemingly unconventional and perilous path appears to be the only way out.
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