Chapter 23 — Female Lawyer and Torn Will

Ten days before the decisive shareholder meeting, a new crisis suddenly broke out at the group's main production plant in the suburbs, where more than two thousand workers were working in the textile line. A group of workers, worried about rumors about the possibility of the corporation being acquired and possibly cutting staff massively to optimize costs at the request of the new owner, organized a spontaneous strike, asking the management to make a clear commitment to ensuring employment.

"This is the worst possible time," the human resources director reported to Anh Vu over the phone, his voice filled with worry. "If news of the strike spreads, especially to shareholders who are considering voting, it could further reinforce Kim Phat's argument that the current leadership is not capable of controlling the internal situation."

Mr. Vu, even though he was in an extremely stressful period of the shareholder campaign, decided to immediately go to the factory to directly dialogue with the workers, instead of letting his subordinates handle it or making general statements from afar. "I need to go there," he told Tue Minh when she worried about image risks if the conversation didn't go smoothly. "In my five years as a warehouse manager, I understand the fear of workers when their jobs are threatened by decisions in which they have no say. I cannot let them face that fear alone, behind office walls."

When Anh Vu arrived at the factory, he did not go straight into the board of directors meeting room as usual, but walked straight into the common yard area where hundreds of workers were gathering, carrying handwritten signs expressing concern about their employment future. Many of them looked at him with both curious and skeptical eyes, unfamiliar with the image of a corporation president willing to stand in the middle of a crowd of workers without a protective fence or a majestic escort team.

"I know you're worried, and I don't blame you for that," Anh Vu said, standing on a makeshift platform hastily set up with a few wooden pallets, his voice echoing throughout the factory yard through a portable speaker. "Not long ago, I was just an ordinary warehouse manager like you, who was also afraid of job insecurity, about decisions from superiors that I had no say in. I understand that fear, because I have experienced it."

The crowd of workers listened silently, an attention gradually forming when they realized that the man standing in front of them was not reading a speech prepared by the media team, but was speaking from his own experience and sincerity.

"I can't promise that everything will be completely smooth going forward," he continued, his voice frank. "We are facing an outside takeover attempt, and the outcome of the upcoming shareholder meeting will determine many things. But I promise you this — whatever the outcome, I will fight with all my might to ensure that workers' rights are always at the forefront of every decision, because I believe that you, the people directly making each product, are the true foundation of this corporation, not the numbers on the balance sheet. math."

An elderly worker, who had worked at the factory for more than twenty years, raised his hand to speak. "How do we know you will keep that promise, when similar promises from the old leadership have been broken many times?" he asked, his voice filled with years of accumulated skepticism.

Mr. Vu did not avoid that difficult question. "I have no proof other than the actual actions I will continue to show from today onwards," he replied frankly. "But I propose this — let me establish a council of labor representatives, with the right to directly participate in important decisions related to personnel and working conditions, with the right to veto any plans for mass layoffs for at least the next three years. This will be an official, legally binding commitment, not just empty words."

This bold and specific proposal, made on the spot without prior careful preparation, surprised both the crowd of workers and Anh Vu's accompanying team. But it also clearly shows his sincerity and true determination, something that general promises cannot convey.

A young female worker, pregnant with her first child, timidly walked up to the temporary podium, her voice trembling with nervousness as she spoke directly to a corporation president for the first time. “I'm not as worried about myself as I am about my new baby,” she said, her hand resting on her belly in an instinctive gesture of protection. "If I lost my job now, I don't know how I would manage to raise my children."

Mr. Vu stepped down from the podium and approached the young worker. His eyes were gentle and full of understanding. "I promise you, and everyone else in a similar situation, that maternity leave and the basic rights of workers will always be strictly protected by this corporation, regardless of who is at the helm," he said, his voice sincere without being pompous. "It is not a privilege, but a legitimate right that any worker deserves."

That commitment, made live in front of a crowd of witnesses, received the first round of applause from the workers, a sign that the initially tense atmosphere was gradually being resolved. The factory union representative, Mr. Pham Duc Trong, who organized the strike, approached to shake Anh Vu's hand. His eyes were still cautious but less hostile.

"We will closely monitor the implementation of today's commitments," he said frankly. "But I acknowledge your willingness to come here in person, instead of just sending a press release remotely like many other business leaders do in similar situations."

"I look forward to working closely with the union in the near future," Anh Vu replied, squeezing Mr. Trong's hand. "Your supervision will be the motivation for me, and the entire board of directors, to always keep what we have committed."

After hours of frank dialogue, the strike was gradually dissolved peacefully, with consensus on the formation of a labor representative council to be formalized within the next two weeks. The news about how Anh Vu handled this crisis, instead of further damaging his image before the shareholder meeting, suddenly became an inspirational story that was covered positively by many media, portraying him as a new model of business leadership, putting people above pure profits.

"This could be the turning point we need," Tue Minh told Anh Vu on the way back to the city, her eyes filled with admiration as she witnessed the entire development of that day. "Not from dry financial numbers, but from the story of a leader who truly listens and respects the people who have built the value of this corporation with him."

Mr. Vu smiled tiredly but contentedly, leaning his head back on the car seat. "I just did what I believed was right," he said quietly. "But if that also helps the legal battle ahead, I'm even more confident that the path I'm choosing — the path of sincerity instead of calculation — is the right path, no matter how difficult it is."

Tue Minh looked at him, her heart filled with a stronger belief than ever. She thought of the image of Mr. Dam Vinh Thanh in the diary entries, in the words of Mrs. Sau Cam - a man who once made a serious mistake by putting family honor above family ties, but at the end of his life tried to make amends with the decision to hand over everything to his grandson who carried within him the integrity he had long lost. Perhaps, she thought, this was the clearest proof that his will was being carried out in the deepest spirit he had ever wished for — not just the granting of legal inheritance, but the opportunity for a new generation to lead with heart, instead of just with cold calculation as had happened before.