Construction companies typically rely on temporary workers and subcontractors for most of their operations, preferring to maintain a core staff of permanent employees.
Therefore, mass layoffs involving thousands of employees are rare for construction companies unless the situation is truly dire.
The fact that Wangsang Construction laid off one-third of its workforce in this restructuring round indicates the severity of their situation.
“That’s why,” Park Do-joon said quietly, lowering his voice.
“Wangsang Construction needs a scapegoat, don’t you think?”
“Oh-ho!” Kim Geun-chan’s eyes sparkled at those words. Park Do-joon was definitely right.
‘Wangsang Construction is desperate to cut its losses to survive.’
They’re trying to shift all the blame onto the subcontractors while simultaneously absolving themselves. Moreover, such severe layoffs are bound to create a negative public image.
Because the majority of the public are workers, they might eventually become targets of layoffs themselves.
‘So, they’re putting a ruthless person in that position.’
Without being prepared to face social criticism, they can’t carry out proper layoffs.
‘So, you should experience being a disposable pawn too.’
Park Do-joon looked at Kim Geun-chan and gave him a meaningful smile.
“If you provide them cover, Wangsang Construction would be very grateful.”
“Indeed, hahaha.”
***
Soon after, a news story broke in Kim Geun-chan’s newspaper.
-New Moon Industrial Refuses to Honor Employment Succession
A company called New Moon Industrial, located in Gyeonggi Province, is causing shockwaves by refusing to accept the employment succession proposal made by the acquiring company during the acquisition process.
The company acquiring New Moon Industrial had offered employment succession to secure skilled workers, but the new CEO of New Moon Industrial reportedly rejected these conditions.
……Omitted……
Furthermore, investigations revealed that the new CEO of New Moon Industrial is the same person who led the layoffs at Wangsang Construction, causing further shock.
The news that broke in the media sparked public outrage. This is because it was the first time a selling company had refused to allow employment succession when the buying company was willing to guarantee it.
-New Moon Industrial? Those sons of bitches.
-What a bunch of bastards.
-I heard New Moon Industrial is currently on strike because of this issue.
-Wait, the company buying them is offering employment succession, but the workers at the company being sold are striking to demand employment succession?
-It’s not the buyer; it’s the New Moon CEO who’s crazy.
In an instant, New Moon Industrial’s image plummeted. And that situation came crashing down on Lim Bum-soo like a bolt from the blue.
“Department Head Lim Bum-soo, are you crazy?”
“No, that’s… Director, well…”
“Don’t you know we have a non-compete clause? You’re not just some employee; you’re a department head running another company?”
“That’s not it, Director. It’s just that I inherited my father’s company…”
“Then you should have hired a professional manager. Moreover, I heard you refused to sell even though there was already a sales contract in place, is that right?”
“…….”
“Are you out of your mind?”
“No, well, that’s…”
Indeed, it was true. He had delayed the contract execution to squeeze out a few more bucks.
“And I heard you’re the one who scuttled the employment succession that they offered?”
“I didn’t ask for that. They asked for it.”
“Do you have proof?”
“Pardon?”
“Do you have proof? They’ve already submitted the contract as evidence. But if you’re claiming that you didn’t agree to the employment succession, you need to provide evidence.”
Of course, there was no evidence. It was just a verbal agreement.
“This crazy bastard, really…”
The president of Wangsang Construction had no choice but to be furious. They were already stuck with a bad image and needed to change it somehow, but things like this kept happening, making it impossible not to be agitated.
“A proper disciplinary committee will be convened soon.”
“Director!”
“Then you shouldn’t have engaged in outside business! Or at least explain the situation to the company! You’re doing outside work that you’re not supposed to do, and to top it off, you’re shitting on our company’s reputation. Did you think you could just get away with it?”
“…….”
“You’re suspended from work for the time being, so get out of here!”
At the director’s words, Lim Bum-soo had no choice but to leave.
“What the hell? What went wrong? Where did it all go wrong?”
He scratched his head. The New Moon Industrial strike was giving him a headache. It was now impossible to meet the volume requested by Hyunseong Group.
Moreover, the media was tearing New Moon Industrial apart.
The way people looked at him wasn’t favorable either. In fact, he knew he would receive negative attention for handling the layoffs. But he still thought it was just a job.
But now it was no longer just a job.
“I thought he was heartless when he did the layoffs before.”
“He’s ruthless. No, does he refuse employment succession even when it doesn’t concern him?”
“Isn’t he a real devil? Does he enjoy seeing others suffer, or something?”
“Maybe. That’s why he didn’t bat an eye when he fired so many people.”
“That Mr. Kwak. You know, the one whose whole family committed suicide?”
“Did he fire Mr. Kwak too? Knowing his family situation?”
“That devilish bastard.”
Voices that were barely audible. Seeing that, Lim Bum-soo had no choice but to shout in anger.
“Shut your mouths!”
Lim Bum-soo shouted without realizing it and then quickly ran away.
Then he went to his seat and turned on the computer.
“Damn it! How did things turn out like this?”
He frowned and turned on the internet. It was to find out the situation. And he saw the news on the main page.
“What is this? Wangsang Construction apologizes for the layoffs?”
Why would Wangsang Construction suddenly apologize for the layoffs? The layoffs were inevitable for the organization to survive. But now, suddenly, an apology?
But they were apologizing for it. Lim Bum-soo’s mouth dropped open as he checked it again.
“This is crazy!”
The content was simple. They claimed that they didn’t intend to carry out such severe layoffs, but it was done due to Lim Bum-soo’s unilateral decision.
No matter how powerful Lim Bum-soo was, he didn’t have the power to determine the number of people to be laid off.
The reason they were saying this to him was simple. They were trying to shift the blame onto Lim Bum-soo.
Of course, it was a futile attempt to cover up the truth, but it’s easier for people to attack one person than an entire company.
Moreover, Lim Bum-soo is in a situation where disciplinary action is certain due to his own mistakes. In that situation, there’s nothing he can do.
“This is bullshit…”
Lim Bum-soo instinctively knew that he had been made a scapegoat.
***
“You bastards! Stop the strike! Now!”
Lim Bum-soo, realizing that he would inevitably be fired, became anxious. He realized that New Moon Industrial was all he had left.
Of course, he tried to normalize the company by any means possible. He was trying to deliver the goods no matter what. But the employees, who were going to be fired anyway, wouldn’t listen to Lim Bum-soo, who was shouting at them.
“Guarantee employment succession! Guarantee it!”
“CEO Lim Bum-soo, guarantee the livelihood of the employees! Guarantee it!”
“These crazy bastards.”
Lim Bum-soo was furious when the guys who used to grovel before him raised their voices. But that didn’t change the situation.
“Hey, factory manager, are you going to be like that too?”
“CEO Lim, I’m going to be fired anyway. Aren’t I? My two children are in college, and if I get fired from here, I have nowhere to go.”
“That’s true, but…”
“And I heard they already promised employment succession?”
“That’s true, but…”
“But you’re the one who said you wouldn’t accept it.”
It was a difficult situation in many ways. Eventually, the factory manager said coldly.
“CEO, do you think we’re just a bunch of idiots you can mess with because we’re quiet?”
“…….”
“It’s definitely not going to end easily.”
The factory manager’s appearance was different from before. Cold, calm, and angry eyes. And he shouted in front of Lim Bum-soo.
“Guarantee employment succession! Guarantee it!”
“Guarantee it! Guarantee it!”
The louder the voices, the more Lim Bum-soo’s face turned to shit.
***
“This is a breach of contract.”
“No, that’s not it…”
“I was going to cut off the deal because of what your father did. But I gave you one more chance out of respect for the past. But you’re breaking it like this?”
Lim Bum-soo was sweating profusely at the words of the man from Hyunseong Construction. He could instinctively feel that the downfall had begun.
A disciplinary committee was held at Wangsang Construction a while ago. And the decision to dismiss him was made within it. He filed a lawsuit for unfair dismissal, but it didn’t seem like he would win.
In fact, he, as a department-level executive, had a non-compete clause. Even if he inherited it after his father passed away, he didn’t report it in advance, and even damaged the image.
Wangsang Construction, which needed a scapegoat anyway, used Lim Bum-soo as a scapegoat to shift the blame through the media, and even rescued some of the people Lim Bum-soo had fired, claiming they were dismissed due to Lim Bum-soo’s misconduct.
As a result, the image was created that Wangsang Construction’s layoffs were Lim Bum-soo’s unreasonable actions, and in that situation, New Moon Industrial was naturally unable to deliver the goods requested by Hyunseong Construction.
“The amount was too much in the first place…”
“If the amount was too much, you should have come to us to negotiate and reduce it. And in the first place, you didn’t give us anything at all, did you?”
If they had delivered even the average production volume, they could have used the excuse that the amount was too much. But since nothing was delivered, there was no excuse.
“You will have to pay damages for this.”
“Da, damages?”
“Of course, you have to. Did you think we would just let it go?”
At those words, Lim Bum-soo’s heart sank. He hadn’t thought about that.
“You’re a former department head, so you should know? If you cause damage, you have to take responsibility.”
“I’m a department head!”
“I already know, you’ve been fired.”
“That’s… still in litigation…”
“Shut up. You should prepare for damages.”
Lim Bum-soo had nothing to say at those words.