Xie Sui poured him a cup of tea and said unhurriedly, "Don't rush. Let me explain it to you slowly. I'm doing this to eliminate future trouble."
Secretary Tang could only sit down. "You speak, I'm listening."
Xie Sui said, "I don't like the current workers. They have problems with their mentality. Arrogance and laziness are ingrained in them. What you want is a harmonious factory, and I'll spend a little more money to ensure harmony.
I can rehire people to do this job, which means I, Xie Sui, will give them job opportunities. They will cherish this job, which is much better than dealing with a group of grandpas and grandmas now, isn't it?"
Secretary Tang fell silent. Xie Sui's meaning was clear: the jobs would remain the same, but the old order needed to be broken, and people who would obey should be in charge.
Secretary Tang was also helpless, as Xie Sui was now the factory director.
Xie Sui added, "If you feel I'm not doing this right, I can give up this factory and find another one. To be honest, I'm helping you now, not the other way around.
Once I have money, what kind of factory can't I set up?"
Of course, this factory could save a lot of trouble. If he were to open a new factory, it would take half a year to get the paperwork done, not to mention sales channels. Although the pickle factory was not profitable, all the supply and marketing cooperatives carried his goods; they were necessities.
Xie Sui could use this sales network to sell his other products.
This was why he was willing to spend more money to sort out the workers.
Of course, a more important reason was that Lin Wanwan was going to the city, and he needed to settle things here quickly to help Lin Wanwan. They really couldn't rest easy otherwise.
"Alright, I won't interfere anymore. You decide how you want to handle it. After all, you are the factory director now, and you have the final say."
"Thank you. I enjoy dealing with you."
The two shook hands and continued their friendly cooperation. After a series of procedures were completed, Secretary Tang left, leaving Xie Sui to handle the rest.
Xie Sui convened a meeting of all the leadership team members, also to formally introduce himself.
The pickle factory was not large, but it had quite a few leaders: secretary, deputy director, accountant, union chairman, logistics, and so on, over a dozen people.
They all smiled and looked at him respectfully. Of course, Xie Sui noticed the hint of disdain in their eyes.
Perhaps they thought Xie Sui was out of his mind to pay five hundred yuan to buy out the positions from the workers, as if he had too much money to spend.
Xie Sui spoke first. "This is our first meeting, and you all don't know me yet. I'm a decisive person and don't like trouble. Accountant, please go and sort out the payroll first, and then collect a list of everyone who wants to sell their positions.
The logistics department will post a notice to recruit a batch of new workers. The exact number is to be determined."
The accountant had no issues, but the logistics department hesitated and asked, "Why not use the original people? Five hundred yuan is not a small sum. Isn't it just throwing money away?"
Xie Sui laughed heartily. "I'm happy. I like obedient people. Just like ancient emperors, a new emperor means a new set of officials. Old officials are certainly not as loyal as new ones.
Of course, I'm not referring to you. You've all been here for three generations, so you deserve some respect."
The crowd chuckled awkwardly. This young man seemed so impulsive.
"Don't worry about me being short of money. To tell you the truth, I've taken out a loan of one million yuan. This little bit of money is nothing."
He dismissed them without even asking their names. As they left, they whispered to each other, thinking that this new factory director gave them the impression of being young, impulsive, and nouveau riche, not someone who would do practical work.
This was exactly what Xie Sui wanted them to think. The old workers would see no hope and would leave with money, while the new workers would bring a fresh atmosphere.
As expected, as soon as the news spread, more than half of the people chose to sell their positions.
Firstly, the pickle factory had been losing money all along, and they saw no hope. Moreover, five hundred yuan was a significant sum of money. Many couldn't resist the temptation, thinking they could always come back later.
They thought highly of themselves, but when they truly wanted to return, it wouldn't be so easy.
Xie Sui quickly settled their wages and posted the recruitment notices, which soon caused a sensation. Although the pickle factory's performance was poor, it was still a state-owned enterprise, and getting in meant having a secure job. Many people flocked to apply.
Xie Sui personally screened the candidates, prioritizing middle-aged women. These women had families to support and were looking for a serious job to provide for them. They would cherish this opportunity.
He had them try out the work, keeping those who were quick and efficient.
Some male workers were also hired for manual labor like transporting vegetables.
These tasks were all completed within a day.
None of the management staff left. Xie Sui understood their intentions; being leaders, they had different perspectives and looked down on such small sums of money.
Besides, they thought Xie Sui was foolish and rich, and perhaps they could extort more money from him.
Xie Sui didn't dismiss them either and directly assigned them tasks. "The first thing is to purchase raw materials, which are red beans. Our first batch of pickles will be red bean pickles. Cabbage and radishes are not yet in season, so we'll use red beans for now. We can also buy a large quantity of chili peppers, and encourage farmers to plant more chili peppers, as pickled peppers will be our main product in the future."
"We're going to buy vegetables?"
"Why else? Am I supposed to go myself? The leadership also said that we should go down to the grassroots and do the work ourselves, not sit in the office and drink tea. Do I employ you to drink tea?"
Xie Sui stared at them coldly, making them panic. This was clearly his way of targeting them.
"I disagree."
It was the logistics director. He was almost fifty, with a paunch. Going to the countryside to buy red beans would be beneath him and too strenuous.
"Why?"
"Aren't you deliberately making things difficult for us? We are state officials, and you can't treat us like this!"
Xie Sui chuckled. "Well said. I pay your salaries, and you work obediently. It's an employment relationship, so how is it mistreatment?
If you feel you are being humiliated, I can find someone else to humiliate. I think countless people would eagerly seek my humiliation."
The logistics director said, "You just want to force us out, to replace the workers and the leaders. Do you think we're as stupid as they are? If you bully us like this, I'll report you to the county leaders!"
"Good, go ahead. Someone, open the door and escort him out. And anyone else who wants to go, you can all go together. I won't stop you."
Who was he trying to threaten? A cold glint appeared in Xie Sui's eyes. This was a bad habit they had cultivated.
The logistics director really left. The others didn't move. Xie Sui assigned the task. "Go to each village and buy them. I want to see a thousand catties of red beans tomorrow. They will be purchased at the market price. Don't buy rotten or old ones. Inspect them carefully.
If the task is not completed, your salary will be deducted. Don't you dare slack off or get by with mediocrity.
Of course, I won't let you do it yourselves. You can find people from the workshops to go with you. I have tractors, and I will help you transport the goods back."