Chapter 572: The "French Labor Protection and Safety Act"
A gray-black "Jewel Model 3" carriage drifted around the street corner, speeding past pedestrians before coming to a sudden stop outside Lyon's City Hall, prompted by the coachman's loud shout.
Flynnram, the general manager of Grande Manufacturing Company, leapt off the carriage with an agility rare for someone in his 50s, sprinting toward the finance office.
Only after entering the city hall did he finally catch his breath.
There were only five or six people ahead of him in line, so he had arrived early.
His urgency was understandable—no one knew how much compensation would be available. If he came too late, the funds might have already been claimed, or he could face long delays, which would be devastating.
The line moved slowly, and Flynnram kept craning his neck to see what was happening. He noticed government officials talking extensively with the factory owners applying for compensation.
It took three whole hours before Flynnram finally reached the front of the line. By this time, a considerable queue had formed behind him. Many of these wealthy factory owners, whose net worth ranged from tens of thousands to millions of francs, hadn't stood in line like this in years.
"Next."
The voice of the finance official felt like music to Flynnram's ears. He quickly grabbed the leather bag handed to him by his assistant, stepped forward, and placed the company's documents and—most importantly—the order agreement on the desk.
"The weather is so cold. My compliments on your hard work," he said with a wide smile. "Look, I signed a total of 570,000 francs worth of orders. Here, with the 'Vienna Observers Caravan.'
"According to the government's notice, I seem to be eligible for 68,000 francs in compensation, correct?"
The official took the documents, nodded, and said, "We'll first need to verify the materials, including checking whether your factory produced the goods listed in the order.
"If everything is confirmed, you'll be able to collect your compensation."
"Oh, that's wonderful!" Flynnram exclaimed, his excitement bubbling over. "Long live His Majesty the King! Long live His Royal Highness the Prince!"
The official calmly handed him a pamphlet. "I must inform you of the following.
"First, all compensation funds must be used to pay your workers' wages. This does not include company directors or senior management.
"Furthermore, the wages of all workers must not fall below last month's levels.
"You can send someone with the workers' wage receipts to settle accounts here each month, until the full compensation amount is distributed."
Joseph had anticipated that these capitalists, faced with company losses, would immediately transfer their financial burdens onto the workers.
Given that France's industrial development was still in its early stages, companies had already pushed workers' wages to the bare minimum needed for survival.
Any further reduction could render workers unable to support themselves, potentially sparking mass strikes or even riots.
Thus, Joseph decided to allocate the 4.5 million francs as "targeted assistance." After all, the money was essentially free, and while the amount wasn't vast, it was enough to stabilize France's industrial environment—a worthwhile investment.
At the same time, he planned to use this money to promote the recently drafted French Labor Protection and Safety Act.
The finance official pointed to the pamphlet in Flynnram's hands. "Additionally, you must adhere to the provisions of this act. Violating it will result in the termination of your compensation payments."
Flynnram quickly flipped through the Labor Protection and Safety Act, puzzled. "When was this issued?"
"It's been in trial implementation for a month and a half now," the official replied without surprise. Today, he had encountered only one factory owner who knew about the act. "It is expected to be formally enacted next year."
Flynnram read the provisions:
Workers employed in factories must be over the age of nine.Work cannot begin before 6 a.m., and daily working hours must not exceed 14. Overtime must be paid.Factories must ensure safe working conditions, based on the latest safety standards for each industry.Workers who haven't completed basic education must be allowed at least two hours of study each day.Workers cannot be dismissed without cause. If they must be dismissed, one to three months' wages must be paid, depending on the severity of their misconduct.
There were many more provisions, but Flynnram skimmed through them and quickly nodded. "Yes, I'll comply with these regulations."
Laws are meant to be followed, after all, and he realized that while these rules might slightly increase production costs, the impact wouldn't be too significant. Compared to the nearly 68,000 francs in compensation, the extra costs were negligible.
Before long, Flynnram had completed the necessary paperwork and signed the compensation agreement. Overjoyed, he prepared to return to his factory.
With this money, he wouldn't need to dip into company funds to pay workers for the next half year.
"Edgar Destain, please," the finance official called.
Flynnram paused, startled. Destain's Larsko Textile Company had reduced production in the first month, as instructed by the Industrial Development Fund, and should have suffered little to no losses.
He turned and overheard Destain say, "My company only lost 17,000 francs, but based on the order amount, the compensation comes to 90,000 francs. Are you sure about this?"
The finance official responded without hesitation, "The compensation amount will still be distributed as stipulated, regardless of your actual losses.
"However, I must remind you that the compensation must be used to pay workers' wages…"
Flynnram's eyes widened in disbelief. How could someone profit from an order scam?!
Even with the compensation, he had still lost nearly 20,000 francs.
He silently berated himself—if only he had followed the Industrial Development Fund's advice to reduce production, he too could have earned tens of thousands in profit. He could have finally bought that villa he'd had his eye on for years...
The other factory owners waiting for compensation shared similar thoughts. They resolved to heed the fund's advice in the future.
A Jealous Revelation
Two weeks later, news spread that made them even more envious.
The Industrial Development Fund declared that the factories which had implemented production cuts during the incident displayed "commendable foresight" and a "keen market intuition." As a result, the fund decided to increase its investment in these factories and requested tax reductions for them.
The factory owners were green with envy.
The fund's investments were typically in the hundreds of thousands of francs, and coupled with tax breaks, these companies would see their scale and competitiveness skyrocket overnight.
It was like ascending to heaven in one step! No amount of effort, even years or decades of hard work, could guarantee such rapid growth.
Paris
On the second floor of the Tuileries Palace, Joseph smiled warmly at Carona, seated across from him, and praised,
"Your accomplishments in Vienna this time were truly outstanding, proving that you are France's foremost expert in finance and trade."
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