Old Wu claims "I've struggled my whole life just to own a car" "Why can others drive in and out freely, but I, a cleaner, cannot drive into the factory?" Speaking of the incident where the factory stopped him from driving to work, Wu Jianguo, who works at a plastic leather goods factory in Chang'an Wusha, choked up. This man, who claims "I've fought my whole life just to own a car," bought a second-hand off-road vehicle a few days ago. Unexpectedly, the factory security, citing "following orders from above," prohibited him from driving into the factory. The administrative supervisor of the plant, who conveyed the "ban" to the security, explained that it was to "prevent Old Wu's car from being scratched in the parking lot and then causing disputes with the factory." Wu Jianguo believed this matter was due to his identity as a cleaner being looked down upon by the factory.
Monthly Salary of 2000 Still Persisted to Fulfill Dream
Wu Jianguo claims he is from Yongzhou County, Hunan, 52 years old this year, served for two years, and after retiring, he drove a car for hire back home, but later the vehicle was robbed by bandits. In 2007, Wu Jianguo came to Dongguan to work in order to support his son's university education. Last May, he started working as an employee at Dongguan Songyu Plastic Leather Goods Co., Ltd., his work badge showing his position as "Sanitation Team Leader," but Old Wu said that in February this year, the factory removed many middle-level managers, and he thus became an ordinary cleaner.
Even though his monthly salary dropped from 2200 yuan to 2000 yuan, and another 240 yuan had to be deducted for living expenses, Old Wu still persisted with his dream of "owning a car of my own." Six days ago, he finally realized this dream, taking out over 30,000 yuan in savings to buy a second-hand domestic mini off-road vehicle.
"My wife works in another community in Chang'an, Xiamang. I can now drive to pick her up and drop her off, very convenient!" Wu Jianguo said that after buying the car, he also applied to the factory leadership under the reason of "convenience for work, and if parked in the factory, everyone could borrow it if needed," to park in the factory area, but did not receive a clear response.
Feeling Discriminated Against, Choked Up Several Times
Wu Jianguo recalled that the day before yesterday, when he drove to the company gate, the security refused to open the gate and let him in. The security told him that it was the meaning conveyed by the administrative supervisor Zhao —— ordinary employees are not allowed to drive to work.
"I went to find Supervisor Zhao, and he actually asked me to read the employee manual, saying there were explicit regulations." Wu Jianguo said that he then really checked the employee manual and found no relevant regulations prohibiting ordinary employees from driving to work.
Wu Jianguo stated that the managers and clients of their factory could all drive in and out freely. "And there are plenty of parking spaces in the factory area, why don't they allow ordinary employees to drive in?" Wu Jianguo thought the factory looked down on him and choked up several times while recounting his experience to reporters.
Yesterday afternoon, South China Morning Post reporter followed Wu Jianguo to the entrance of Songyu Factory. He tried again to drive the second-hand off-road vehicle into the factory. The security saw a visiting car and opened the automatic gate, but immediately recognized the owner as Old Wu and quickly blocked the car, claiming they had to consult Supervisor Zhao before allowing entry, then requested Old Wu to reverse and closed the gate.
The security at Songyu Factory's entrance subsequently told South China Morning Post reporter that they were also embarrassed because this matter "had not been well coordinated by the higher-ups."
South China Morning Post reporter dialed the mobile phone of the company's administrative supervisor Zhao. He first claimed it was executing one of the company's systems, then expressed concern that Old Wu's car might get scratched in the parking lot and cause disputes with the factory. Supervisor Zhao also indicated that as a cleaner, the company had already treated Old Wu well, providing him with single-room accommodation, and Supervisor Zhao believed Old Wu should not have too high expectations of the company.
Dialogue with Wu Jianguo
Saving and Buying a Car: Ordinary Employees Have Dreams Too
Reporter: Why did you decide to drive to work?
Wu Jianguo: My biggest dream in life is to own a car of my own, to work and live driving my own car, which would be convenient wherever I go. Moreover, my wife works in Xia Gang, Chang'an, and usually doesn't live with me. After having a car, I can frequently pick her up and drop her off.
Reporter: Did you have any driving experience before?
Wu Jianguo: After retiring, I drove cars back home and earned some money by renting them out. Later, the car was robbed by bandits under the guise of renting.
Reporter: Do you have any military experience?
Wu Jianguo: I started serving in December 1979 for two years. As a reserve soldier for the counterattack against Vietnam, although I didn't personally go to battle, the military training had a great impact on me. I have been persistently learning from Comrade Lei Feng.
Reporter: Tell us about your story of learning from Lei Feng!
Wu Jianguo: Around 1991, while working back home, I encountered a young man with a knife trying to kill someone, so I went to stop him. Unexpectedly, the young man stabbed me instead. Fortunately, I resisted with all my strength and ultimately stopped him from committing murder. My deeds were even reported by the local media in Hunan. In 2007, when I worked at an electronics factory in Yongtou, Chang'an, I encountered motorcyclists robbing a girl's bag. I rode my bicycle to block them, and they were scared enough to throw the bag away. Unfortunately, I and my bicycle were hit by them, and they took the opportunity to escape.
Reporter: How do you feel about the factory prohibiting you from driving to work?
Wu Jianguo: I think the factory should care about its employees and make them feel warm, so that employees will have more motivation. If I park outside the factory, I would always worry about whether my car would be stolen during work hours, wouldn't that affect my work? Since the leaders of the factory and the clients can park inside, why can't they treat ordinary employees equally?
Reporter: How did you become a sanitation team leader within less than a year, and now become an ordinary cleaner?
Wu Jianguo: When I entered the factory, I was a dormitory administrator, but I treated the company like my home and worked hard. Once, when the toilet drain was clogged, I reached in with my hand and eventually cleared it. Our Hong Kong boss learned about this incident, praised me in a meeting, and called on everyone in the company to learn from me, so I was promoted to sanitation team leader. However, in February this year, the factory streamlined personnel, dismissed a batch of management staff, and I became a cleaner.
Reporter: People may wonder, how can you afford a car as a cleaner?
Wu Jianguo: My salary is indeed not high. During the time I was a sanitation team leader, my monthly salary exceeded 2000 yuan, otherwise, it was only over 1000 yuan. But I save on food and other expenses. Although my son is still studying for a master's degree, we only have one child, so the burden is not heavy. Both my wife and I work in Chang'an. I also use my free time to ride bicycles and ferry passengers, earning some hard-earned money.
Dialogue with the Supervisor
"I Don't Own a Car and I Don't Hope Migrant Workers Buy Cars"
Reporter: Why doesn't Old Wu's car get permission to park inside the factory?
Supervisor Zhao: Our factory has such regulations, and I am just implementing one of our company's systems.
Reporter: Could you explain which system it is?
Supervisor Zhao: Only salespeople in the entire company have cars. The company also worries that if Old Wu parks his car inside the factory area, it might accidentally be scratched by an employee, and the company would not compensate, which would be inconvenient.
Reporter: Even the boss's car or businesspeople's cars have the possibility of being scratched, right?
Supervisor Zhao: The boss's car is parked in his own factory, so that's not much of a problem. Also, none of our employees have cars, so every time Old Wu drives in and out of the gate, the security needs to routinely check, which is not very convenient.
Reporter: Does every car need to be inspected?
Supervisor Zhao: No, cars belonging to salespeople or the factory's official vehicles are exempt from inspection. Clearly, Old Wu's car is not on the exempt list. If inspected daily, Old Wu himself would also find it annoying.
Reporter: Old Wu says driving to work can improve work efficiency, and now parking outside the factory makes him uncomfortable when working.
Supervisor Zhao: Before, when he rode a bicycle into the factory, we didn't say anything. As a cleaner, we have already treated him well; we even gave him a single room for accommodation. If he asks for too much, we can't meet that standard.
Reporter: Do you plan to buy a car? As a superior, how do you view cleaners driving to work?
Supervisor Zhao: I currently don't have a car, and I don't hope migrant workers buy cars.
Reporter: Why?
Supervisor Zhao: If I were a cleaner, do you think it's necessary? With a monthly salary of only so much, buying a car for work isn't even enough for gas money, and there's also the issue of insurance!
Lawyer's Opinion
The Supervisor Suspected of Discriminating Against Subordinates
Yang Jianjun, lawyer at Guangdong Guanghe Law Firm:
Regardless of rank, Old Wu is still a company employee. Whether the involved factory has rules stating private vehicles cannot enter the factory area, or specifies which type of employees have this privilege, from this incident, since businesspeople, as Old Wu's colleagues, can drive their private cars into the factory, but the factory supervisor cannot produce corresponding regulations, then the supervisor has a suspicion of discriminating against lower-level positions, which is not conducive to the construction of factory enterprise culture.
Your Thoughts
Enterprise Executive: Employees' Rights Are Equal
Wen Bin, General Assistant of a Pure Group in Humen:
It's a good thing for cleaners to buy cars; it shows that our country has improved, and people's living standards have increased. In our company, there are many employees who buy cars, and we specifically allocate a large number of parking spaces for employees. Nowadays, cars are so cheap that they are merely a means of transportation. There's no need for the supervisor of this company to escalate this matter. From a company management perspective, each employee should enjoy basic rights equally, whether they are cleaners, businesspeople, or supervisors.
Ordinary Employee: Should Be Treated Equally
Zhou Zhong from a Plastic Factory in Chang'an:
Perhaps the factory is out of kindness. Indeed, you, a cleaner, should just focus on working. Why buy a car? We go out to work just to earn some money to support our families. And you're not doing it for work needs; running errands is different. One must meet clients on time, and driving adds a bit of prestige. Conversely, a cleaner driving to work feels somewhat awkward. However, the factory's actions seem inappropriate. Since everyone is an employee, they shouldn't be treated differently.
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