Chapter 279: Chapter 275 Workers’ Federation
During the discussion on whether to initiate Action Y, someone suggested turning the originally peaceful protest into a violent conflict, or even directly arming the workers.
As mentioned before, many factories in Pignes Castle were previously military factories. Although the weaponry produced are decades-old relics, it doesn’t mean these old relics can’t kill.
Even though the Workers’ Federation currently doesn’t possess any weapons, they can access old-style Flintlock Guns stored in the factory warehouses whenever they wish.
They could even assemble enough Flintlock Guns to arm a group within a month if they wished.
As for the reason to escalate from a previously agreed peaceful protest to an armed struggle, mainly because some members of the Workers’ Federation felt that the factory obtaining the marching meal box orders could ease the current situation in Pignes Castle, suppress the growing unemployment rate, thus affecting the expansion of the Workers’ Federation.
In their view, once the factory receives new orders and resumes operation, those workers who were unemployed due to the factory shutdown, and thus joined the Workers’ Federation, would be swayed and return to work at the factory, rather than staying to continue the struggle.
So, they wanted to use armed struggle to sabotage this order and even the factory’s technological upgrade, thereby continuing to maintain the current situation in Pignes Castle and the plight of the workers, encouraging more workers to join the Workers’ Federation.
However, Kallen did not wish for them to proceed in this manner.
"The order for this marching meal box comes from the Northern Territory Count to the factories in Pignes Castle. If we sabotage and obstruct this, it may attract the attention of the Northern Territory Count. Remember, she is not someone who is soft-hearted," Kallen, though not willing to speak of Perfikot this way, had to leverage Perfikot’s deterrence to prevent everyone from heading in the wrong direction.
Upon hearing Kallen’s words, everyone fell silent; the New Shaker City massacre was a nightmare for everyone.
Although some still stubbornly said things like "she’s just a wanton woman," seeming to indicate they didn’t fear Perfikot, the idea of armed struggle was clearly abandoned.
After all, even with Flintlock Guns and six-pound cannons, challenging the Steam Knights was like lighting lamps in a privy. If the regular army couldn’t achieve it, how could a group of untrained workers?
Besides the inability to win, Kallen pointed out another reason: "If we rely on maintaining harsh conditions to force our worker brothers to join us, then how are we any different from those streetlight fixtures?
We cannot use creating suffering as a means to make people join us! It’s a very selfish and shameless act, devoid of moral standards!
Why do worker brothers join us? It’s not because the Workers’ Federation lets them earn more wages, nor does the Workers’ Federation stand up or protect them, but because the Workers’ Federation offers them hope, the hope for a better life!
Now, if we use artificially creating suffering to force them to join us, it violates the original intention for which the Workers’ Federation was established, deviating from our principles!
Perhaps we can grow strong for a time, but when this incident becomes known to the public, how will the worker brothers view our Workers’ Federation?
The biggest factor allowing us to contend with the streetlight fixtures is our solidarity; only when everyone is united can we struggle against them, but if we use such methods, how would we unite everyone then?"
Kallen’s words plunged the workers’ representatives into deep thought. After earnestly considering Kallen’s words, they had to admit she was right, and indeed shouldn’t propose such ideas.
"Kafka, you are right. We should not use such means to compel our own brothers!" An elderly worker with great prestige usually expressed to Kallen, and his statement encouraged others to admit to Kallen the error of their previous thoughts.
Kafka was the pseudonym Kallen used while engaging in Workers’ Federation activities, to distinguish her from her original identity and avoid being discovered and linked to her original identity.
Among the knowledge Perfikot imparted to her, many cases emphasized the necessity of concealing personal information when engaging in such risky activities, so from the start, Kallen concealed her identity, even using a pseudonym.
After everyone unified their ideas, the elderly worker raised a new question to Kallen: "Since we aren’t using force to sabotage this incident, how should our Workers’ Federation express our attitude towards this affair? And what kind of attitude should we express?"
This was the most concerning issue for the workers’ representatives of the Workers’ Federation at the moment.
Facing this question, after a period of serious contemplation, Kallen spoke to everyone: "We will not express a stance on this matter, neither actively sabotaging nor supporting it."
"Is this okay?" A young worker representative asked Kallen.
In his youth, he harbored more passion and enthusiasm, eager to do more.
By contrast, older workers understood Kallen’s choice better; he actively explained: "Not sabotaging is because we cannot create suffering to force our worker compatriots. After all, the factory receiving marching meal box orders itself benefits the worker community of Pignes Castle.
If the factory can operate, everyone can find work, receive wages, improve life issues caused by unemployment.
But simultaneously, we cannot support this matter, because it conflicts with workers’ interests. We seek to improve our work environment, raise worker treatment, fight for the benefits that rightly belong to us.
So, we can’t support things we ought to oppose, even if they do objectively improve worker living conditions."
"Father Glev said exactly what I wanted to express; even I couldn’t say it better." Kallen happily endorsed the elder worker, smiling broadly.
The elder worker was slightly embarrassed by Kallen’s words, blushing, but still said to Kallen: "I can’t compare with you, Kafka, what I said was everything you’ve taught us; I merely used your teachings to analyze this affair."
Hearing the elder worker’s words, Kallen’s expression showed greater joy, clearly her work had already shown early signs of success.