I Became A Black Merchant In Another World-Chapter 324: One Ghost, Labor Standards Act (2)
When we think of communism, we usually think of nothing but the bad.
It forces everyone into labor, exploits their produce, and the workers live in such miserable conditions that they don’t just suffer from poverty, they starve to death...
Meanwhile, some pig in the north lives a life of luxury, eating the most expensive food, living high and mighty.
These thoughts come up because of those bastards in North Korea, I guess.
‘No matter what anyone says, communism has ultimately failed.’
The Soviet Union didn’t collapse because of a third world war between the US and the USSR, nor did communist nations collapse because of internal divisions and civil wars.
No matter how hard you work, there’s no hope that life will improve by even the smallest amount, so people do everything half-heartedly.
"A noble must learn from history. A wise noble learns not just from success, but from the failures of history."
"Well said."
"If you want to succeed in any field, first and foremost, you must learn not to fail."
It’s the same logic as learning how to study.
If you want to be the top student in class, first assess what you already know, and then systematically learn the things you don’t know.
Thorough analysis and dedicated effort are the basics of improving your grades.
"How long were the workers in the Sforza faction's territories working?"
"They worked from 5 AM to 7 PM, except on Sundays. They also had an hour for lunch, but the conditions were terribly harsh."
"How do they not die from that? It seems like people would be dropping like flies."
"The workers in the territories are just seen as expendables by the upper echelon—like the lords of the guilds or the heads of the workshops."
Even in the early days of the Industrial Revolution, workers were just seen as disposable.
With the Second Enclosure Movement, farmers and their families who had lived as tenant farmers lost their land.
They weren’t going to drown in the Hudson River because they were kicked out of their homes, so they naturally migrated to cities near rural areas.
They became low-ranking laborers in various cities, treated like expendables until they died.
16-hour workdays, six days a week, with no safety equipment or adherence to safety protocols.
The girl in "The Little Match Girl" is actually based on a real story, where a girl working in a match factory during the Industrial Revolution had her chin melted off by white phosphorus and was eventually fired and died.
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‘It’s almost the same thing.’
We’re not implementing policies as disastrous as the Enclosure Movement...
But there are still endless supply of second and third sons from rural areas with no land rights, ready to fulfill the demand for labor.
"How much do they get paid?"
"They’re paid 1.5 silver coins a month."
"That should be enough to live on as a single person, but the problem is, will anyone in the city rent houses to single men?"
"It seems like the factories are exploiting that too."
Hearing that made me think of a certain underground labor camp.
A place where debtors are imprisoned underground and forced into labor.
Something similar is probably happening in the Sforza Duchy’s territories.
"In the large workshops, they’ve built huge, shabby barracks where low-ranking workers live. They house the workers there and provide meals and a place to sleep every day."
"The food and sleeping arrangements must be terrible."
"They’re not inedible, but they give them bread made from old barley flour and wheat flour, which is mixed with chicken feed. The beds are stacked three or four high in one room, and they sleep in them."
"Deus, help us."
"And for using these facilities, they collect 1 silver coin and 40 copper coins every month."
"So the workers are only getting 10 copper coins a month, then."
Of course, this accommodation is technically better than the very early stages of the Industrial Revolution in England.
In London, unskilled laborers were required to work 16 hours a day.
It was so hard to even find a place to sleep that they would sleep standing, leaning against a rope, or in something as bad as a coffin.
Though, the workers in early industrial England still ate fish and chips regularly.
‘Aside from the food, it’s better than what they had in England.’
Still, it’s not acceptable.
Even though urbanization isn’t happening at a breakneck speed yet, and their numbers aren’t vast enough to cause riots, the city workers are probably holding onto a great deal of anger right now.
If someone ignites the spark, it’s clear that things will explode.
"This is serious. If things are this bad in the Sforza faction's territories, other territories must be the same."
"Yes, that’s correct. But if you exclude the working hours, they don’t seem to be committing any other serious issues..."
The reason employers exploited workers during the Industrial Revolution was simple.
Well, we’re paying wages and making them work, so what’s the problem with having them work 16 hours a day?
Sebastian is used to our Rothschild firm’s 52-hour workweek (with overtime pay if necessary).
So, he probably thought that a 78-hour workweek was an issue.
He didn’t notice the bigger problems.
Workers aren’t like cattle or horses, you foolish medieval thinkers.
"If the second and third sons from rural areas, or women, have nothing to do, what’s the alternative? But now that business is rapidly developing, at least they have a way to survive... don’t you think their situation has improved compared to before?"
"Objectively, yes. These second and third sons, when they’re kicked out of their villages, have no choice but to come to the city, settle down, and live there. But the reality is, they’re stuck in slums. But think about it differently."
Imagine I couldn’t find a job and had to work part-time for hours every day, living on triangular kimbap and ramen.
If you are reading this translation anywhere other than Novelight.net or SilkRoadTL, it has been stolen.
Or, imagine I got a job but had to work 80 hours a week, eating only two triangular kimbaps and ramen every day.
It seems like working 80 hours a week is better for eating and living.
But if all I get after working like that is just that, it would be impossible not to be dissatisfied.
Living in a slum would feel no different from working in such a factory.
"Sebastian, how would you feel if you worked your ass off for a month and all you got was a miserable meal and bed?"
"I would feel utterly miserable."
"They’re the same. The older generations who moved {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} to the city before don’t matter. What matters is that their current situation is miserable. And if that continues, it’ll naturally turn into anger."
Only then did Sebastian nod, slightly opening his mouth.
"When anger builds up, people want to break everything. Even knowing they’ll die, they’ll throw themselves into it, thinking it’s better than living like this."
When I can’t see any hope that my life will improve no matter how hard I try, and my current state is so miserable, this is what happens.
Every morning when I wake up, I despair and wonder why I didn’t die yesterday, thinking about death while working or eating, hoping I don’t wake up the next day.
If this repeats indefinitely, I begin to think that my life is worse than death, and eventually, I break everything—machines, factories, whatever.
If I’m going to die, I might as well leave some resentment behind.
"That’s a very scary story."
"Ah, but our Rothschild territory is safe. Even our lower-class workers can form families and earn enough to live, right?"
For city workers, we have to give them at least 3 silver coins a month.
Anyone who doesn’t comply, I’ll deal with.
I didn’t directly deal with them, but I warned them that if they didn’t comply, I’d shut them down through an audit.
And, when someone particularly abused workers, I had their corpse hung in the plaza.
"But other territories are different. Even the Emperor’s direct domain and the Visconti Duchy."
"According to your view, it seems that a massive riot by urban workers will happen in a few years."
"Before it happens, no, it seems impossible to stop."
Honestly, I hadn’t looked into the situation in other territories, but I never imagined it would have gotten this bad.
Since things have escalated this much, it’s time to let off some steam before it explodes.
"Send someone to the Sforza faction’s territories, and find the factory where the workers have the most complaints. I’ll go meet with them personally."
"Understood. But what exactly are you planning?"
"Something the Emperor and Duke Visconti would like."
Even in the Joseon Dynasty, there was a beautiful tradition of preemptive strikes—crushing things before they came to you.
We have no reason not to follow that tradition ourselves.
