After the meeting, Ma Wanjun first sent invitations to all local tungsten alloy processing companies, hoping they would come to the meeting to announce something important. The invitations were sent in the name of the South African Tungsten Mining Association.
Around 4 p.m., more than a hundred people gathered in the banquet hall of a local five-star hotel. Most of the people were white, dressed in fine clothes, holding wine glasses and smiling and greeting each other, looking exceptionally upper-class.
As the banquet began, after the host briefly explained the purpose of the Tungsten Mining Association, Ma Wanjun walked onto the stage, took the microphone, glanced at everyone, and said, "Dear partners and friends, good afternoon. Let me introduce myself first. My name is Ma Wanjun, General Manager of South African Tungsten. It is an honor to have you all here today, and it is also the official public appearance of the Tungsten Mining Association."
"Our association was founded on the principle of putting people first, respecting workers, respecting human rights, and above all, respecting freedom. Under this philosophy, we have come together, and we hope that we can work together to build a beautiful, free, and equal planet."
Sparse applause broke out in the room. The white people present felt that something was wrong. Back home, they often heard about human rights and freedom, but here it sounded strange, and they had a bad feeling.
The audience members whispered among themselves, their eyes occasionally glancing at Ma Wanjun, unsure of his intentions.
"The establishment of this association will better protect the rights and interests of workers. Therefore, our first proposal is to keep dangerous mines away from workers and restore human rights to them. We all know that the right to life is the most important human right. Currently, most of the tungsten mines here do not meet the world's minimum safety standards."
“Some tungsten mines don’t even have mining suits, miners’ lamps, or miners’ boots. The mining tunnels don’t even have detailed geological maps or any support. There is a risk of collapse at any time. The geology of the upper layer of the tunnel is unclear, and the geological conditions of the lower layer are even more unclear. In some places, cement pillars should be poured for support. Last year, due to unclear geological exploration, groundwater backflow and dampness caused many soft rock and soft mine collapses.”
"At the same time, there are also cases of workers operating improperly, equipment being outdated, and some small mines even digging cat tunnels, relying on the ancient mining method of tying ropes to their bodies to work, resulting in countless deaths, which is heartbreaking."
Whether Ma Wanjun was truly heartbroken or not, the people below didn't know, but they were already somewhat heartbroken at that moment, staring at Ma Wanjun with disbelief in their eyes. What was he planning to do? What did he mean by saying all this?
This place has always been like this, a few people die, a few people die, the compensation isn't expensive anyway. They've already sensed something's wrong, but they can't believe such a thing could happen on this land.
We're all human, you can't expect yourself to be like me, right? Surely not?
Feeling the gazes from below, Ma Wanjun paused for a long time before speaking: "Therefore, we have decided to suspend production for maintenance, prioritizing safety and human rights. Starting tomorrow, we will maintain no more than 20% of our production capacity, while all other mines will reduce production. This time will be used to train workers and replace equipment. It was indeed a difficult decision to make, but when we think of the lives lost, we have no choice but to do this. Today's production halt is for better production tomorrow, and I believe everyone will understand."
The people below were dumbfounded. Understand? What gave them the right to understand?
“You mean, your production is going to be reduced by eighty percent?” a white man exclaimed.
"It's not 80%, it's that the production rate should not exceed 20%," Ma Wanjun explained.
"How many mines do you have?" another person asked hurriedly.
Ma Wanjun introduced the members of the association, and they were surprised to find that all the companies and suppliers present were in this association. As for when the South African tungsten company became their supplier, it had always been managed by the Ronald family.
A commotion broke out at the scene, with some people rushing to the front to question Ma Wanjun about how the penalty for breach of contract would be calculated, since the contract they signed stipulated the quantity of goods to be supplied.
“Human rights! I believe human life is more important than liquidated damages, especially since it is written in the contract that human rights are the highest priority,” Ma Wanjun replied.
There was indeed such a sentence in the contract. When they signed the contract with the Ronald family, the other party requested that it be added. It was originally an insignificant sentence, but who knew that someone would suddenly jump out and say, "Do you really treat these people like human beings?"
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