Chapter 390 – Petition
Even after Feng Yu mentioned the many benefits of the restructuring of the hospital, Zhang Ruiqiang still did not agree to help him. Since you said that doing this was not against the regulations, then go to the Health Ministry and the Trade and Industry Bureau to seek approvals yourself. I am not familiar with this.
Those departments will follow the procedures to grant approvals. If all your documents were in place, they have no reasons to delay the approvals. If there were some problems with your materials or procedures, then it was normal to hold back the approval. Stop bothering me.
Based on Zhang Ruiqiang’s understanding of Feng Yu, Feng Yu should have bought the medical equipment. Even if in the end, the approvals were not granted, the equipment will still be shipped to Bing City. Feng Yu will still install the equipment in that hospital. When that happened, the City Government can do its “wonders” secretly and allow that hospital to be opened to the public and at the same time maintain the current charges.
Feng Yu looked at Zhang Ruiqiang and smiled slyly: “Leader, don’t blame me if things are blown out of proportion.”
Zhang Ruiqiang felt his eyelid twitching: “I am warning you. Do not do anything reckless. If not, even if your hospital met the requirements, I will still not grant the approvals!”
Feng Yu turned and left. He still has a trick up his sleeves. If he used this trick, it would affect all officials.
……
“Manager Feng, what did you say? Our employees’ hospital will be restructured? How will it be restructured?”
“Shareholding. The earnings of the hospital will be paid to the shareholders as dividends. Our employees will still be able to enjoy the same welfare benefits as before. Maybe their benefits would be even better. After the restructuring, we will be opening the hospital to the public. There are a few neighborhoods nearby, and I guaranteed that in the future, people from the city, province and even the nearby provinces will be coming to our hospital!”
“Huh? How can it be possible? Although our hospital is not too old, it still cannot be compared to the other hospitals in the City. It would be impossible for people in the city to visit our hospital. How can the whole province be coming here for treatment?” Li Mingde knew the hospital inside out. This employees’ hospital was only a basic community hospital. There were only about 30 beds, and those bigger hospitals had at least a few hundred beds.
“It is because we will have the most advanced diagnostic equipment. We will have the most professional professor as our doctors. Our hospital will have the best environment and caring staffs. I will talk about the changes to the hospital briefly, and you can ask those employees for feedbacks. Ask them if they agree to the changes.”
When the labor union told the news to the workers’ representative, the representative jumped up with joy. Which idiot will reject this proposal? Their hospital will have the latest and most advanced medical equipment, and the Machinery Company does not need to fork out a single cent. The workers’ year-end bonus will not be affected too. If the workers fall sick, they will still be paying the same subsidized rates. If it were a serious illness, they would also be able to claim up to 80% of the total medical bill. It was the same for the workers’ family members and those retired workers. They do not need to pay for the consultation fees and the medication, operation, ward charges were heavily subsidized.
Open the hospital to the public? No problem. Anyway, there were not many workers that fall sick. Opening to the public can increase the hospital’s profits. This way, the Machinery Company does not need to fund the hospital. Those funds were from their year-end bonus!
Whoever that reject this proposal must be an idiot!
The worker representative still asked when will be the new equipment arriving? When will the professors start seeing patients? Some of the older workers with illness were looking forward to those specialists.
But at this time, the workers were told that this was only a proposal, and it might not be approved.
The workers were furious! What’s the meaning of this? Are you trying to fool us? You had told us so much, and now you are telling us that it might not be implemented?
The people from the labor union explained that it was not that they do not want to implement this proposal. Manager Feng’s brother-in-law had got the money ready, but the City Government does not want to approve this proposal. There was nothing the Machinery Company could do.
The City does not want to give the approval? Why are they not approving this proposal? We are also not asking the City Government for money! The Machinery Company was the City’s biggest company, and the workers had spent most of their lives working in this factory. The Government had restructured the Machinery Company from a state-owned enterprise to a shareholding. The workers had been converted from being state-owned enterprise employees to private company employees.
They did not make any complaints as their salaries had increased after the restructuring. But other state-owned enterprises did not do well after their conversion, and the City had spent lots of the taxes to help those enterprises. The Machinery Company’s workers were the ones that had been contributing to the City Government all this while.
Why should the Machinery Company’s workers only allowed to contribute to the City and not allowed to have more benefits? Just look at this hospital. When did the City give a single cent to help this hospital? Those leaders in the City Government just do not want the Machinery Company’s workers to have better treatments!
What can these workers do? Protest in the City?
Li Mingde was shocked. Stage a protest in the City? Things will be blown out of proportion. He was the General Manager of the Machinery Company, but at the same time, he was also a government official. Even though Feng Yu had told him that even if he were removed from the government, he would still be employed by the company. But for Li Mingde, he would still prefer to keep both identities.
If the workers were to create problems, then Li Mingde would be in trouble. Deputy Mayor Xu, who had been looking after him, had got into trouble and no one in the City Government could help him get out of this mess.
Li Mingde immediately speaks to the workers’ representative. He stared at the Labor Union’s Chief. He had wanted the Union Chief to ask for the workers’ opinions and not ask the workers to create trouble.
The Labour Union Chief had an innocent look on his face. He did not suggest this. It was the workers that want to protest at the City Government. He, himself, also did not know why the workers behaved this way.
Among the crowd of workers, there were a group of people from the Motorcycle Branch Factory gathering together. Earlier, these people were spread out in the crowd, and they were instigating the crowd to stage a protest and incite the wrath of the workers. Anyway, they knew that this proposal was for the benefit of the workers. Manager Feng had told them to do this. Manager Feng had said that all of them should group together and fight for themselves!
Feng Yu suddenly appeared: “Everybody, please quiet down. I know how all of you feel. But if all of you go and protest, what would happen to the factories? We have contributed to the nation for most of our lives. Do you want others to say that we are doing all these just for our own benefits?”
“Manager Feng, what should we do then?”
Feng Yu looked at that worker. He was pleased with this worker’s performance. Later he must remember to give this young man 10 RMB more.
Feng Yu took out a banner: “Everybody, look at this. This a petition signed by all the doctors, nurses and cleaners in our hospital. We are asking for the City support. We are not doing anything illegal. We just want to upgrade out hospital facilities and to provide better health care for everyone!”
“Can we also write a petition? We will also sign on a petition. Manager Feng, Manager Li, this should not be a problem, right?”
Feng Yu smiled and replied: “There is no problem. Look. There is a banner over there. Everyone can sign on that banner. Manager Li and I will convey all of your thoughts to the City Leaders.”
Li Mingde felt the corner of his eyes twitching. This was like the olden days where the peasants wrote petitions to the emperor! Will there really be no problems?
Petitions was actually a nicer name to force those officials to agree to you. It represents the attitude of the people. If you do not accede to our demands, then we will do something which you will regret!
Since when did Manager Feng prepare these banners? How come I was not aware? Also, when did those people at the hospital signed on the banner?
I had failed as the General Manager of this company. I was not aware of all these things happening under my nose!
Li Mingde did not know that Feng Yu had not only asked the workers to sign on the petition. At the same time, someone was asking the worker’s families to sign a petition in support of this proposal.
There might not be a lot of workers. But if you include the workers’ family members and those retired workers, there would be at least 6,000 to 7,000 signatures. The City Government cannot just ignore their demands!