Record of a Conversation with Workers in the Masonry and Carpentry Trades  The workers are demanding that wages be raised to 34 cents per day and refuse to recognize the proclamation issued by the Magistrate of Changsha County on the fourteenth day of the eighth lunar month regarding the strike dispute. According to the representatives of the trade, this matter pertains to a relationship of free contract between laborers and employers and should be settled through mutual agreement; there has been no coercive conduct involved (this sentence was added by Director Wu). Therefore, government authorities need not intervene.  On behalf of the Governor, I, as Director of the Provincial Government Office, hereby approve the aforementioned position and request that it be communicated to all workers.

The following text was recorded by Director Wu Jinghong at the Administrative Office of the Governor’s Secretariat:

Submission Concerning Freedom of Trade, Requesting Clear Instructions to Assure Public Tranquility.  We, the workers, have been demanding an increase in wages to 34 cents per day and have refused to acknowledge the proclamation issued by the Magistrate of Changsha County on the fourteenth day of the eighth lunar month, leading to a strike that has now lasted eleven days. Yesterday, all of us assembled at the Changsha County Government Office and, citing Article 17 of the Provincial Constitution, presented our grievances, requesting the revocation of the aforementioned proclamation so as to secure our livelihoods. While these negotiations were ongoing, we received an urgent telegram from the Governor authorizing a satisfactory resolution to be reached by today.

In our view, freedom of trade is enshrined in the Constitution. The current dispute over wages is essentially a matter of free contractual relations between laborers and employers and ought to be resolved through their own accord. Absent any coercive actions, government authorities need not become involved. At present, various institutions—from the General Headquarters onward—along with schools and private residences, have successively written letters acknowledging the wage rate of 34 cents and urging the resumption of work. Only the Magistrate of Changsha County remains steadfastly unyielding, which clearly violates the Provincial Constitution. By obstructing the just demands of the workers, he has placed himself in direct opposition to the Governor’s stance. Furthermore, during today’s meeting between the workers’ representatives and Director Wu of the Administrative Office, the Director, acting on behalf of the Governor, expressed approval for the workers’ position and pledged to act accordingly. We are deeply grateful for this generous and considerate gesture.

We, the workers, are now gathered in the courtyard of the Provincial Education Association, where we unanimously appeal to the Governor to issue an immediate and definitive resolution to reassure the public. As the increase in wages falls entirely within the realm of free contract between laborers and employers, government authorities are not required to intervene.

Accordingly, we respectfully submit this petition to the Governor, requesting prompt and clear instructions, to be conveyed to us via our representatives. Moreover, we request that you instruct the Magistrate of Changsha County to rescind the proclamation dated the fourteenth day of the eighth lunar month, thereby safeguarding our means of subsistence and restoring public peace. This would indeed serve the public interest.

Submitted with utmost respect to Governor Zhao of Hunan Province.  All six thousand four hundred-odd masonry and carpentry workers of Hunan Province—namely Ren Shude, Chou Shousong, Du Zhongkun, Huang Shaomei, Li Haishan, Zhu Youfu, Luo Zipei, and others—hereby jointly present this petition.