Starting from 1950

"I wouldn't dare ask. If Director Zhou even glanced at me, I'd freeze to death."

"That's right, the new factory manager is very fierce."

"Xiao Su, you have a good relationship with the factory manager, as well as the personnel department, security department, and logistics department. Xin Xue is from the publicity department. You must know some details, so why don't you share some with everyone?"

"Yeah, just tell us!"

A group of women surrounded Su Yang, bombarding him with questions.

Seeing that Su Yang remained silent, someone came up and pulled his arm. No one knew who it was, but they took the opportunity to grope his butt.

Su Yang felt a chill run down his spine and roared:

"stop!"

Seeing that everyone was briefly stunned, he thought for a moment and said loudly, "I don't know the specifics of the regulations. But I can tell you that the wages for the eighth-grade worker system will only be higher than before!"

Having said that, while everyone was still thinking, he pushed through the crowd and ran away as fast as he could.

These old women are really annoying.

He wasn't lying to everyone; he knew it based on his memories from his past life.

In his previous life, he enjoyed reading novels and had some knowledge of the eight-level worker system.

Unexpectedly, only 50 years later, Shenzhou began to implement it.

......

These days, policies are being implemented much faster than Su Yang had anticipated.

Less than a month after rumors began circulating in the factory, the eight-level wage system was implemented.

Overnight, notices titled "Instructions on Adjusting the Salaries of State-Owned Industrial Workers and Technicians and Reforming the Eight-Grade Wage System" were posted all over the streets and alleys of Shenzhou.

The new wage system reforms the original 39-level wage system into an 8-level wage system.

Workers' wages are paid in a ratio of 40% in wage credits and 60% in cash.

The salary varies depending on the job, and not all jobs have an 8-level system.

Flour mills are considered light industry, so wages are lower than in heavy industry, and workers are only grade 7.

The lowest rank for a Level 1 noodle worker is 174,000 yuan in cash plus 38 salary points per month.

The highest level is Level 7, where workers receive 452,400 yuan in cash plus 100 salary points per month.

Currently, the value of 1 wage point is roughly around 3000 yuan.

Along with the superior's document, the worker grade assessments for all workshop workers in the factory were also posted.

The level of technical personnel needs to be assessed by higher-level departments, while the level of workshop operators is assessed directly by the factory.

All workers in the workshop were assigned to levels 1 to 5.

The workers found their assigned job grade and compared it with their wage, and immediately erupted in uproar.

Everyone's wages have increased by 10% to 40%!

The buzzing of discussions merged into a noisy ocean, churning with emotions of excitement, joy, and disbelief.

"Hey! Old Liu, look at this! You're a level three worker! Your monthly cash processing salary is almost 400,000! That's more than 100,000 more than before!"

"Let me see, let me see! My goodness! It's really level three? Wow, now we can buy a new cotton-padded coat for the family this winter!"

"Zhang Mazi, you've upgraded it to level two? Good for you!"

"Widow Li, you're level two too! That's much easier now!"

Most of the workers were all smiles.

However, not everyone was immersed in joy.

"Why?!" A low growl, laced with suppressed anger, exploded at the edge of the crowd, instantly drawing many eyes.

Xu Erma is a warehouse worker.

"I've worked in the flour mill for almost twenty years! I've been pushing the millstone here since the Republic of China era! Later, when machines came out, I carried heavy sacks every day. Why don't I get a rank? My salary has only increased a tiny bit, less than a tenth of what it used to be!"

Xu Erma's words stirred up a hornet's nest, immediately resonating with some of the porters and laborers.

"Exactly! Old Xu is right! How was this ranking system determined? Why are we old guys on the same level as those youngsters who've only been here for a few years?"

"Yeah, that kid Hu Tutu has only been working at the factory for three years, while I've been for eight. Why is his salary so much higher than mine?"

"Go find the factory manager! Let the factory manager be the judge!" Xu Erma stomped his foot and smashed the two steamed buns and a spoonful of cabbage he had just made, along with the lunchbox, on the ground with a "bang," splashing oil and soup all over the ground.

"If we old workers aren't given a fair explanation, we can't keep doing this job!"

"Yes! Find the factory manager!"

"The evaluation is unfair! It needs to be re-evaluated!"

The crowd was in high spirits, and dozens of workers, led by Xu Erma, rushed toward the factory office building.

The joyful atmosphere vanished completely.

The remaining workers looked at each other in bewilderment.

Su Yang stood on the periphery of the crowd and silently watched the whole thing.

He couldn't help but shake his head; no reform of any system can satisfy everyone.

He had just seen the job descriptions of the movers on the notice board; they were classified as "general laborers."

There are no ranks for handymen, only seniority.

Those odd-job workers with ten years of experience earn more than 10,000 yuan less than a first-class noodle maker.

No wonder they feel resentful.

"Su Yang! Were you getting impatient? What just happened?"

Wearing a white dress, Wu Xinxue, like a white butterfly, ran to Su Yang's side and stood there with a radiant smile.

"It's okay, let's go to the cafeteria for lunch."

He did not tell Wu Xinxue what had just happened.

This ranking has nothing to do with Wu Xinxue or him.

Wu Xinxue works in the publicity department, which is an administrative position. Although she is currently an apprentice, she will definitely be promoted to a cadre position in the future.

Su Yang, an unstaffed member of the security department, will become a cadre like Wu Xinxue if he becomes a permanent staff member.

This wage reform only applies to workers and technicians.

"Okay, let's go!"

Wu Xinxue walked beside Su Yang with her hands behind her back and couldn't help but share some good news with him.

"Oh, right! The factory waived 60 yuan for the quilts we hadn't paid off!"

"Really? That's great news."

"Not only that, I'm telling you, even though I didn't get a raise this time, but..."

Wu Xinxue chattered on and on, while Su Yang listened with a smile, occasionally nodding and asking a question.

The cadres didn't get a pay raise this time, but the amount of supplies they received increased significantly, which was a form of pay raise in disguise.

For example, Wu Xinxue used to not have a cotton quilt in her supplies.

However, from now on, they will receive a cotton quilt every four years, and newly employed cadres will be given a cotton quilt directly.

This is why the factory waived the 60 yuan debt she owed for cotton quilts when she joined the factory.

Other aspects of supply have also increased significantly, such as the increase in single-layer clothing from one set per year to two sets per year.

The supply of shoes, socks, mosquito nets, towels, soap, and even annual bath tickets and haircut tickets has also increased.

In addition, the rent for the house they live in has been waived starting this month.

The number of publicly funded benefits that can be enjoyed has also increased significantly, now including preferential treatment allowances for the elderly, family hospitality allowances, meal subsidies for the sick, travel expenses home, maternity expenses, childcare expenses, nanny fees, children's medical expenses, and tuition and miscellaneous fees for children's schooling.

Wu Xinxue receives a pound of meat every New Year, Spring Festival, and National Day.

Moreover, as a woman, she receives 30 sheets of small paper from the Women's Federation every month, which is quite considerate.

If she gets married and pregnant in the future, she can receive 2 catties of brown sugar, 2 chickens, 60 eggs, 200 sheets of hemp paper, 4 catties of cotton, and 80 feet of white cotton cloth after giving birth. She can also eat at the canteen during her pregnancy.