Chapter 196:
Factories worldwide were currently facing significant issues, particularly due to certain distinctive individuals among their workforce. Typically, these individuals were the organizers or leaders of the factories' labor unions.
These leaders would encourage registered members to unite the workers within their respective factories and form an internal union. Whenever people gathered together, there would always be a leader and some middle management, who often became the disruptive elements within the factory.
On the production line, the slacking off of just one person could slow down the entire assembly line, causing a backlog of materials at every processing stage. This would waste a considerable amount of time and effectively reduce work intensity, yet wages would remain unchanged.
In fact, most workers supported these troublemakers because their actions could make the entire assembly line's work more relaxed and slower. Some factory workers even deliberately engaged in such behavior from time to time.
In the earlier years, when factory profits were good and there was a wide domestic demand, factory owners had no choice but to compromise with such behaviors by offering extra meals or paying additional overtime to get the workers back to serious work. Over time, such behavior became a commonplace way of taking breaks. The history of factory development worldwide was essentially a history of the struggle between workers and factory owners.
Workers had always tried to secure more benefits, higher wages, better protection, and various safety nets for themselves. As long as they worked, no matter how little they did, factory owners were required to pay them at least the minimum wage. Otherwise, the labor union and lawyers would cause trouble for them.
When Lynch mentioned changing the employment structure, the mayor's initial opposition was based on this fact. The power of the workers was still strong. Although capitalists and politicians ruled the world, the majority of people were still ordinary workers. In fact, those laws aimed at protecting workers actually protected not just the workers but also the capitalists.
If Lynch destabilized the basic employment system, it could trigger a massive upheaval. However, given the current unrest, such an upheaval might no longer matter, because the situation was already chaotic. If Lynch's idea could solve some existing problems in factories and help workers return to their jobs, it would actually be beneficial.
This was what the mayor valued. Whoever controlled the job market now had the loudest voice, even louder than the labor unions.