Fi And The Food Factory
Fi is a young man from Finland. First son of a worker in a woodland. He has four sisters and two brothers. His mother died when he was twelve.
Fi's father is a common man whose dream is to become a musician. At night, he plays as a fiddler and comic stand-up in a small coffee shop after a nine-hour work in the woodland.
Fi's father and his three sons are all fiddlers inside their small house while the four daughters are players of different musical instruments.
During the Yuletide season, all family members do the house-to-house caroling, like serenading the whole community living a cushy life.
Not everyone in the community has a good job because almost all residents grew up and lived in a rural region where farming is the main source of livelihood. Schools are limited, but almost everyone finishes high school until age nineteen.
After finishing high school, Fi was offered a temporary job where his father works. When his father got sick for one whole month, his father was laid off. Many other workers were relieved and so most of them moved to a newly-opened food line, working as factory workers.
Fi loves nature. He lasted one year working in the woodland. He doesn't want to see more and more trees disappearing in the region. He applied at the newly-opened factory and was hired.
Unknown to many, the owner of the woodland is also the owner of the new food factory. The job inside the factory is more of mixing, fermenting and packing of the dairy products and sealing of big boxes of dried cheese. The minimum pay is just enough to feed a family of three; regular pay is very close to its minimum. No other regular jobs are available unless you work somewhere else, fifteen to twenty miles farther where the factory stands.
After nearly three years of hard work inside the food factory, Fi was promoted as Assistant Supervisor. On the fourth year, he became the youngest Supervisor even without earning a college diploma.
More jobs opened inside the said food factory as the sales grew bigger. The pay for each worker remained the same. Many workers requested the owner of the food factory to raise their pay a little higher, but the owner did not heed and instead warned them of immediate suspension or possible expulsion. Then these workers confided to Fi that they want to keep their jobs with decency and honor. Fi is not a strong man, though he explained to the owner the gravity of work resulting from the increased volume of demands.
Fi promised his co-workers that he is not working there only for pay. He tried to balance things inside the said factory. Fi is not a watcher inside the factory, but a working example assisting all his co-workers.
One day, when two regular workers were working so slow, they were seen by the owner and were admonished. Three more workers were lagging the next day and were treated the same.
Fi knows everybody inside the factory. The quality of work of each worker under his supervision is impressive. More new workers were hired while many regulars were relieved.
A new company policy was presented by the owner of the factory. No union and all workers will be rehired after every three months. All regular employees will be treated as equal as the newly-hired ones.
Fi interceded for all regular employees including the relieved ones. His plea was not considered by the owner and so he decided to resign immediately.
Eighty-five percent of all workers inside the said factory resigned after learning Fi has resigned.
The owner was distraught with only fifteen percent left working inside the said factory.
Heavier loads were shouldered by newly-hired employees and can hardly catch up with higher demand of work. After a week, Fi was invited by the owner to reconsider working in the company again.
Fi is firm of his stand. He will only return if better working condition is offered for everybody. Fi stressed that work is the same as life. He lives with good principles and it's not the advancement in any work or job that proves the worth and growth of a real worker. You may not like the job, but loving your job is already an achievement and pride.
The owner considered Fi's suggestions and rectified the company policies.
Fi returned to the said factory with all the regular and relieved employees. After nearly four decades, the once small factory became one of the biggest companies in the world today. The old name of the said factory was changed, but its legacy made its mark on the Google.
Strength to all the honest and persevering men and women of the present generation!
Always stay strong with God and live with peace!
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