Chapter 571: The French Labor Protection and Safety Act
The charcoal-grey "Gemstone 3" carriage drifted around the street corner, speeding past pedestrians before screeching to a halt outside Lyon City Hall amidst the coachman's "Whoa!"
Flimran, general manager of Grande Manufacturing, leaped from the carriage, his fifty-year-old body moving with unexpected agility as he sprinted towards the finance office.
Only after stepping through the city hall doors did he finally exhale.
There were only five or six people ahead of him in line; he had arrived quite early.
His eagerness was understandable; after all, no one knew exactly how much compensation was available. If he arrived late and the funds were depleted, or if he had to wait an agonizingly long time, he would be filled with regret.
The line moved at a snail's pace, causing him to crane his neck repeatedly to peer ahead, observing government officials speaking ceaselessly with the factory owners applying for compensation.
After a full three hours, Flimran finally reached the front of the line. By then, a considerable queue had formed behind him. These major entrepreneurs, with fortunes ranging from hundreds of thousands to millions of francs, hadn't stood in such a line for a very long time.
"Next."
The finance official's voice, like a melody to his ears, called out. Flimran quickly took the leather brief from his attendant, then stepped forward, placing his company's various documents and, most importantly, the order agreement, on the desk.
"According to the government's announcement, I should be eligible for 68,000 francs in compensation, correct?"
The official collected the documents and nodded. "We must first verify the information, including checking whether your factory has produced the goods specified in the orders.
"If everything is confirmed to be in order, then you will be able to collect the compensation."
"Ah, that's wonderful!" Flimran exclaimed excitedly. "Long live the King! Long live the Crown Prince!"
The official unhurriedly handed him a small booklet and said, "Oh, I must clarify a few things for you.
"Firstly, all compensation funds must be used to pay your workers' wages. This does not include company directors or senior management.
"Furthermore, all workers' wages must not fall below last month's level.
"You can send someone here each month with the workers' wage receipts for settlement, until the full amount of your compensation has been disbursed."
Joseph knew well that these capitalists would immediately shift any losses incurred by their companies onto their workers.
France's industrial development had only recently begun, and companies, in their efforts to cut costs, had already squeezed workers' wages down to the bare minimum required for survival.
Any further reduction could make it impossible for workers to sustain their livelihoods, potentially leading to widespread strikes or even riots.
Therefore, he ultimately decided to use the 4.5 million francs for "specialized aid." The money was essentially a windfall, and the amount wasn't excessive; if it could stabilize France's industrial environment, it would certainly be a worthwhile investment with no downside.
Concurrently, he also planned to use these funds to promote the "French Labor Protection and Safety Act," which had recently been drafted.
The finance official gestured towards the booklet in Flimran's hand and added, "Furthermore, you must be careful not to violate this Act. Otherwise, the disbursement of compensation funds will be terminated."
Flimran hastily flipped through the "Labor Protection and Safety Act," asking in confusion, "When was this enacted?"
"It's been in trial for a month and a half already," the official replied, showing no surprise. He had only encountered one factory owner who knew about the Act that day. "It should be officially implemented next year."
Flimran read the clauses in the Act: 'Workers employed by factories must be over nine years of age...'
'Workers must not begin work before 6 AM, and daily working hours must not exceed 14 hours; overtime pay must be issued for hours exceeding this limit...'
'Factories must ensure a safe working environment for employees, specifically referencing the latest safety standards for each industry...'
'Factories must ensure that workers who have not completed basic education receive at least two hours of class time daily...'
'Factories must not dismiss workers without cause; for necessary dismissals, one to three months' wages must be paid, depending on the severity of the offense...'
There were many more clauses. Flimran quickly skimmed through them, then nodded and said, "Yes, I will diligently comply."
After all, laws were meant to be obeyed, and he had largely confirmed that while this Act would slightly increase his production costs, it wouldn't be by much.
Compared to the nearly 70,000 francs in compensation, this minor cost was utterly negligible.
Before long, Flimran completed the series of procedures, signed the compensation agreement, and joyfully prepared to return to his company.
With this sum, he wouldn't have to draw from the company's accounts for his workers' wages for the latter half of the year.
"It's Mr. Edgar Destin."
The finance official's voice from behind Flimran made him pause. Destin's Larsko Textile Company had implemented production cuts in the first month as per the Industrial Development Fund's requirements, so they shouldn't have suffered any losses.
He turned in surprise, only to hear Destin say, "Well, my company only lost 17,000 francs, but according to the order amount, the compensation is 90,000 francs. You see..."
The finance official replied without hesitation, "The compensation will still be disbursed according to the stipulated amount, regardless of how much you lost.
"However, I must explain something to you first. Firstly, the compensation funds must be used to pay workers' wages..."
Flimran's eyes widened instantly at these words. 'How could one make money even after falling victim to an order scam?!'
'Even with the compensation, I'm still nearly 20,000 francs in the red!'
He was filled with intense regret. 'If I had also followed the Development Fund Committee's request to cut production from the start, I could have earned tens of thousands of francs, and I'd be able to buy that villa I've had my eye on...'
The other factory owners who came to collect compensation shared his sentiments, muttering to themselves that in the future, they really should trust the Development Fund's advice.
Half a month later, news that fueled their envy and jealousy spread: The Industrial Development Fund deemed the factories that had implemented production cuts during this incident to possess "valuable foresight" and "a keen market sense." Therefore, it decided to increase investment in them and apply for partial tax exemptions.
The factory owners were practically green with envy.
The Development Fund's investments easily amounted to hundreds of thousands of francs or more, and coupled with tax reductions, these companies' scale and competitiveness would immediately leap to a new level.
It was practically an overnight ascent to greatness! If it were them, even after several more years, or even decades, of arduous management, they might not achieve such growth.
......
Paris.
On the second floor of the Tuileries Palace, Joseph smiled at Calonne, who sat before him, and lauded without reservation, "Your accomplishments in Vienna this time are truly exceptional, proving you to be France's foremost expert in finance and trade."
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