Reborn as a Noble’s Son
Chapter 1114 - Chapter 1114 Chapter 1070 State-owned Enterprise Reform

Chapter 1114: Chapter 1070: State-owned Enterprise Reform Chapter 1114: Chapter 1070: State-owned Enterprise Reform With Nie Zhenbang’s departure, the atmosphere suddenly became awkward. As Nie Zhenbang left, other standing committee leaders also found excuses to follow suit.

Regarding this matter, the attitude among officials within Hongjiang Province was unified. This time, with the central government parachuting three officials down, not leaving a single spot for anyone from Hongjiang felt somewhat excessive.

By this point, Nie Zhenbang had already made his stance clear, and everyone else naturally followed suit. These people were well aware that if there was a loss of face above, the only one who might be resented was Nie Zhenbang himself; it had nothing to do with the others. On the contrary, by acting this way, they were actually drawing resentment towards Nie Zhenbang.

Moreover, this action would leave a good impression in the hearts of the leading officials of Hongjiang Province as someone who had spoken out righteously for the province. With someone else taking the brunt of any issues, they could follow silently and make their gains quietly. Such an opportunity was naturally something everyone was willing to take advantage of.

For a while, most of the standing committee had left cleanly, leaving only the Organization Department Head Li Wei standing there, along with, of course, the three new leaders.

Zhang Dongsheng’s expression was somewhat unpleasant. Although Nie Zhenbang’s actions weren’t directed at him, the incident occurred while he was present. As the old saying goes, if not for the monk’s sake then for the Buddha’s, Nie Zhenbang’s move was a classic snub.

Standing up, Zhang Dongsheng spoke, “Comrade Wei Ran, I’ve finished eating too, and it’s getting late. Please arrange for a car to take me to the airport.”

Zhang Dongsheng, along with his secretary, got into the car, and his secretary began to speak, “Minister, the people of Hongjiang Province are too bullying. You can’t do this.”

The secretary wasn’t afraid to speak out. Although the driver was from Hongjiang, the secretary’s thoughts were straightforward: he didn’t care if the locals heard, in fact, he wanted the people from Hongjiang to know.

However, the secretary had misjudged Zhang Dongsheng’s attitude. As soon as he had finished speaking, Zhang Dongsheng rebuked him, “Gu, what are you saying? Leaders should strictly adhere to the regulations of the ‘three-public’ policy when traveling, avoid banquets and alcohol, as these are clearly stipulated by the central authorities. The way Hongjiang Province handled this is in full compliance with the spirit of the central government’s directives. What attitude are you showing? I think the way things are is quite alright.”

Zhang Dongsheng’s words immediately silenced Secretary Gu, who stood to one side, speechless.

As for the sincerity of Zhang Dongsheng’s words, only he himself would know.

…

Zhang Dongsheng’s actions did not leave much of an impression on Nie Zhenbang’s mind. This time, no matter who had come, Nie Zhenbang would have done the same, even if it had been the minister from Suzhou, it would have just been a trip to the airport. But to welcome them with a smile and courteous reception was something he could not bring himself to do.

It was clear that this was a trial from some people in Jingcheng towards him. Previously, there had not been an opportunity, but this time, the fall of three leaders from Hongjiang Province, including two standing committee members, gave them an excuse.

This suggested that the work in Hongjiang Province was not up to par, and its leading comrades were not quite competent. Using that as a pretext, it had led to the current situation. Under opposition from some factions, the personnel adjustments in Hongjiang Province, entirely consisting of outside appointments, were no longer surprising.

But if Nie Zhenbang had shown weakness, those people would have thought he was afraid, and it was certain that they would have become increasingly overbearing. Nie Zhenbang would not allow such a situation to occur. Leaving Zhang Dongsheng hanging was Nie Zhenbang’s counterattack, a statement of his position.

Sitting in his office, Nie Zhenbang pinched the bridge of his nose. On the desk before him were economic data statistics for the primary and secondary industries of Hongjiang Province over the past two years.

During his two years in Hongjiang, tourism had become a high point of economic growth. With the boost from tourism, Hongjiang’s tax revenue, per capita income, and other aspects had all made significant progress. Nevertheless, it was time to adjust the industrial structure of the primary and secondary industries.

There was a knock on the door, and Hong Feng stood at the doorway. Seeing Nie Zhenbang look over, he walked in and reported, “Secretary, Vice Governor Zhou is here.”

Hearing Hong Feng’s words, Nie Zhenbang also stood up. Zhou Chuanjia was a member of the standing committee and vice governor, who happened to be in charge of industry.

It truly felt like the saying “speak of Cao Cao and he arrives.” Nie Zhenbang nodded and said, “Please have Comrade Zhou Chuanjia come in.”

During this period, the turmoil within Hongjiang had only served to firm up Zhou Chuanjia’s resolve to follow Secretary Nie’s lead. For Zhou Chuanjia, there was no longer any other choice.

“Secretary, my visit this time mainly concerns the restructuring of the Red Textile Factory. I’m here to report on our progress.” Zhou Chuanjia set down his briefcase and sat across from Nie Zhenbang, formally beginning his report.

Listening to Zhou Chuanjia speak, Nie Zhenbang was momentarily taken aback. Indeed, what a coincidence. Here he was, contemplating the problems of Hongjiang’s state-owned industrial development, and there Zhou Chuanjia came to report on the specific issue of the Red Textile Factory. he then smiled and said, “It really is quite a coincidence. I was just about to discuss with you the overall development of Hongjiang’s industry, and here you are, reporting on the Red Textile Factory. Tell me, how is the restructuring going there?”

Zhou Chuanjia took a notebook from his bag and placed it on the table, but he didn’t open it.

This move was a necessary formality when reporting to a superior, and such details must not be overlooked. Even if you remember all the data and content clearly, failing to report with a notebook in hand could give off an impression of unpreparedness. It might also come across as being overly conceited about one’s abilities.

More importantly, presenting the notebook signifies a humble and cautious attitude. By not looking at it, to the leader, it appears that you have made an effort, that you put significant work into it.

Also, having the notebook out on the table serves as a backup. As the saying goes, even people stumble and horses trip. If you don’t bring a notebook and happen to forget some content, aren’t you just making trouble for yourself, potentially ruining your own prospects?

Zhou Chuanjia’s approach was perfectly standard, without any fault for others to pick at. After considering his words carefully, Zhou Chuanjia began his report, “Secretary, since President Qiao took office, the central government has clearly issued directives to accelerate the pace of industrial system reform. After you took office in our province, corresponding documents were released. Specific timetables have been set for all 532 state-owned enterprises in the province. The general principle is to start with the easy before the difficult, with economically sound enterprises before the ones in poor shape, and with small enterprises before large ones.”

Nie Zhenbang nodded at this point, he was well aware of this matter, as the Hongcheng Machinery Factory had been through the same process. This was all part of the enterprise restructuring effort.

Zhou Chuanjia continued, “As of now, 327 enterprises in the province have successfully completed restructuring, and a total of over 29 billion yuan has been paid into social security for enterprise employees. The restructuring of city-owned state enterprises is not managed by the provincial government. Rather, the province is focusing on the restructuring of 30 provincially-owned state-owned enterprises. The Red Textile Factory is one of the businesses in the second batch of enterprises undergoing restructuring.”

At this point, Zhou Chuanjia let out a sigh, “Secretary, you’re aware that the textile industry is generally in a downturn. The Red Textile Factory is the only large provincially-owned state enterprise within the textile industry. The success or failure of the Red Textile Factory’s restructuring is a matter that directly affects the overall situation of enterprise restructuring across the province. The current circumstances are somewhat difficult to handle.”

Zhou Chuanjia’s words made Nie Zhenbang take the situation seriously; he sat up straight. Nie Zhenbang was quite familiar with the basic situation of the Red Textile Factory, it being a large provincially-owned state enterprise.

Established in the early years of the founding of the nation, it now has a 60-year history. The entire Red Textile Factory comprises three parts: the core first factory, along with the second and third subsidiaries.

Being a labor-intensive enterprise, the Red Textile Factory has the highest number of employees among the provincially-owned state-owned enterprises, totaling over 6,700 active workers. This does not even include retired employees. It is indeed a colossal entity, and any problems that arise during the restructuring could lead to unimaginable consequences.

Hearing what Zhou Chuanjia said, Nie Zhenbang did not dare to take it lightly and his expression grew somber, he looked at Zhou Chuanjia and asked, “Old Zhou, what is the current situation with the Red Textile Factory?”

“The main issues are focused in two areas, one being the conversion to a shareholding system. However, the Red Textile Factory is in a very poor state, with products unable to sell. Continuing production only incurs losses. Currently, the factory has already reached a state of insolvency, posing a huge burden on provincial finances. The workers’ distrust of the factory’s party committee leadership team has made the transformation to a shareholding system extremely difficult. Another option is to introduce outside capital, but the factory’s scale is truly too large, laden with too much debt. Previously, there were two companies considering this, but they were intimidated by the workers’ outcry, with many workers vowing to defend the Red Textile Factory to the death and staunchly opposing the loss of state-owned assets. As a result, nothing came of it,” Zhou Chuanjia answered Nie Zhenbang, clearly troubled by the problem with the Red Textile Factory at this moment.

One issue after another in Hongjiang Province and if something erupts at the Red Textile Factory, leading to group petitions, Hongjiang could become infamous once again.

“This won’t work, that won’t work, what exactly do the workers of the Red Textile Factory want in the end?” Nie Zhenbang’s frustration was growing, but he also realized that the factory employed a large number of female workers and this factor made the restructuring all the more difficult. After all, women tend to think differently from men, being more emotional.

With this in mind, Nie Zhenbang pondered for a moment and said, “Let’s do this, I’ll make time to visit the Red Textile Factory.”

(To be continued. If you like this work, welcome to Qidian (NovelFire.net) to cast your recommendation votes and monthly tickets, your support is my greatest motivation.)

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