Chapter 96: Practical Uses of Nonviolent Noncooperation
Mel and Levi went to many places, including casinos, brothels, and glimmer shops.
Most of the casinos were closed, and a few were converted into table game shops;
Brothels were recycled and turned into decent bars and hotels;
The Glimmer Shop did not close, but simply changed its name to "Piltover Drug Addiction Treatment Center".
Not only does it help drug addicts who are taken in by the leaders to quit addiction, but it is also open to the public, accepting those who are willing to save themselves free of charge.
In addition to these places, what amazed Mel the most was the Zaun community in South City after the Leader took over.
She knew very well what the original situation of the Zuan community was like:
It was dirty, messy and poor, with garbage piled up on the streets, sewage flowing beside the buildings, the air smelling foul, beggars, homeless people and drug addicts everywhere, making it so disgusting that there was no place to step.
But less than 10 days after the leader took over, the Zaun community had completely changed.
"There's actually... no garbage at all?"
The buildings in the Zaun community are still very dilapidated, but the streets and alleys have become unusually clean.
Not only was there no garbage to be seen, there wasn't even any dust on the road.
It's just like the articles foreigners wrote praising Piltover: if you take off your shoes and walk here, your white socks won't turn black when you walk home.
"Of course it's clean." Levi explained:
"We organized the sex workers we rescued, the beggars and the homeless into a cleaning team. We clean this street seven times a day."
"Cleaning a street seven times?" Mel raised his eyebrows.
Could it be that the Leader was so fooled by the promotional articles about Piltover that he mistook sweeping the streets for washing dishes?
Suddenly, Meier realized something: "You let those people sweep the streets, do you pay them?"
"Here." Levi replied.
Mel understood now: "Work-for-relief, this is an old method that has been tried and tested."
"But the problem is..."
To use work as relief, there must be suitable work projects.
The leaders are so idle that they have to sweep the streets seven times a day. It is obvious that there are not so many work projects to solve the reemployment problems of these beggars, homeless people and sex workers.
The result was that the people were rescued, but their jobs and lives were ruined.
We can only use financial subsidies from the organization to create jobs even if there are none.
“Why not just give them money?” Mel asked. “The jobs you create are almost redundant anyway.”
"We can give subsidies to workers directly," Li Wei explained, "but for these beggars, vagrants, and sex workers who are used to living on charity, we must get them used to this kind of life of being paid for their work and supporting themselves."
"The conditions are limited now. When the conditions are met in the future, we will customize some vocational skills training courses for them."
"I see." Mel nodded in appreciation:
It is indeed better to teach a man to fish than to give him a fish.
"But this won't work," Meier pointed out, "A project that is not profitable is doomed to be unsustainable in the long run."
“I don’t know how long your Leaders’ financial resources can sustain. But if their employment problem is not solved before the money runs out, then… your Leaders’ attempt will become a joke.”
"I understand." Levi certainly knew.
But he still confidently emphasized to Mel: "Ms. Mel, you can learn more:"
"In fact, in addition to small-scale projects such as Walkman, board game city, and music tapes, we also have many high-tech projects that can make a lot of money."
"As long as the funds are in place, we can open our factories one by one."
"By then, it won't be a problem to provide employment for tens of thousands of people, let alone these people."
Mel just smiled and said nothing:
She is tired of hearing the financiers paint a rosy picture for the investors.
But Mel knew in her heart that Professor Victor's ability was not inferior to that of Jace Tallis, whom she admired.
With Victor standing up for the leader, she was willing to believe the big promises Levi made.
But Mel doesn't want to talk business just yet.
She wanted to know something else: "If I'm not mistaken, Mr. Levi—"
"Your Leaders Association should still be doing the contract labor business left by the Iron Fist Gang, right?"
“Yes…” Levi’s expression was complicated: “Ms. Mel, have you investigated?”
Mel shook his head. "No need to investigate."
"The main business of the Iron Fist Gang is the leasing of bonded laborers. Just think about it, you can't even solve the employment problem of these sex workers, let alone the thousands of bonded laborers."
"And your Walkman project hasn't even started to turn a profit, and you haven't opened casinos, brothels, or glimmer shops."
"Apart from continuing the contract labor business, I really can't imagine what other projects you can rely on to feed those thousands of people."
"It's true..." Levi admitted helplessly.
"Sure enough." Meier said leisurely, "No matter how idealistic an idealist is, he will eventually run into a wall in reality."
"But at least we have made a change." Li Wei retorted: "Even if the change is only a little bit...we have still made the lives of those bonded workers a little better than before."
"Oh?" Mel raised his eyebrows and showed a willingness to hear more details.
Li Wei also patiently explained:
First, the leaders concentrated on burning the debts and slave contracts of the contract workers.
They still had nothing, but they were free.
Secondly, the leaders do not take any commission and do not ask the contract workers to hand over their income like the Iron Fist Gang.
Although contract laborers still earned little, at least the money they earned belonged to them.
"Letting them support themselves... isn't bad, is it?" Mel commented appreciatively.
"Moreover," Li Wei continued to explain, "We leaders will also stand up for the bonded workers and conduct friendly negotiations with the employers who employ them, using the method of 'non-violent non-cooperation' to maximize the treatment they receive."
"Oh?" Mel was curious now.
She knew very well how stingy the business owners in Piltover were .
Is it possible to use "friendly negotiations" and "non-violent non-cooperation" to make the business owners give up their money and let them cut their own flesh to improve the treatment of the contract workers?
"Your negotiation..." Meier said in a subtle tone, "How exactly did you negotiate?"
"I don't want to receive a collective complaint from business owners in the parliament in a few days."
"Don't worry! We definitely didn't use any violence! And I can assure you that they will never complain to the parliament and cause trouble for you, Miss Mel."
Levi made the promise with full confidence.
"Really?" Mel was very skeptical: "If there is a chance, can you take me to see it?"
"Sure." Li Wei didn't refuse at all: "We can go back to the factory area now - our leader's negotiation team is now in friendly negotiations with the business owners!"
…
A moment later.
After wandering around the city for a long time, Mel finally returned to the factory area.
She followed Levi to the gate of a factory and happened to run into what he called the "friendly negotiation team."
This "friendly negotiation team" is mainly composed of three people.
Those three were all girls:
Wei, Caitlyn, and Seraphine.
Instead of going in, they called the business owners to the factory gate and started "friendly negotiations".
Mel didn't understand at first, but when the negotiations started, she realized...
The three ladies did not go inside to talk, probably because it was not convenient to do so indoors.
Because the negotiation process is probably like this:
At the beginning, Wei, wearing Hextech gloves, casually broke off a street lamp... about seven or eight meters long from the roadside.
Then a light was set up above the business owner's head:
"Let me ask you, are you going to raise the wages of the bonded workers?"
"If you don't raise your salary, I'll hang you up here!"
Mel: “…”
Li Wei, are you sure that business owners won’t come to the parliament to complain?
As she thought about this, she saw Caitlin following Wei closely, threatening the trembling business owner with a gloomy face:
"Sir, I advise you not to think of complaining to the law enforcement officer or the parliament."
"My mother is a member of parliament. Go ahead and sue me if you can!"
Mel: “…”
This is simply... even more gangster than the Iron Fist Gang.
"Is there still any rule of law? Is there still any law?" The business owner was so angry that he cried.
Caitlyn, the former policewoman of Piltover, told him coldly: "I am the king and Jiraman is the law! If you don't agree, you can try!"
This business owner, who obviously did not have a strong enough background, was quickly frightened into submission: "Okay... okay, I can increase the salary for the contract workers."
"But it can't be raised too much, otherwise the labor cost will be too high and my small business will lose money."
"The most I can give is..."
The business owner hesitated and named a price.
"Is that all the money?" Wei cursed, waving the street lamp, "Are you sending away beggars?"
"It really can't be any higher..." the business owner pleaded tearfully, "If the salary goes up any further, I'll go bankrupt!"
He cried with great emotion because it was really painful.
At this time, it was the turn of Seraphine from the three-person negotiation team to appear:
"This guy is lying!"
The business owner was crying about his difficulties, and Seraphine, who had been closing her eyes and listening to the voice of her heart, suddenly pointed at him:
"I heard it all clearly—"
"With the current salary, he still has a lot of money to earn!"
