Old Textile Recalls The Past&Nbsp; Events I Experienced In The Production Department

I was assigned to the Textile Science Research Institute after graduation from university in 1958. In November 1969, he was transferred to the third production group of the Ministry of Light Industry. As one of the experiencers in the development of the textile industry, I deeply realize that the development of our country's textile industry is unprecedented and the achievements are enormous.

Several priorities

Promote the rapid development of textile industry

After working in the three production groups of the Production Department, I deeply realized the support and care of the Party and national leaders for the textile industry. Remember that in 1979, the State Economic Commission issued the "Emergency Notice on Ensuring the Dyes, Power, Raw Materials, Transportation, etc. Needed for the Production of the Light Textile Industry", that is, the later several "priorities", that is, the supply of raw materials, dyes, and electricity is preferred; Potential tapping, innovation and transformation are preferred; Give priority to infrastructure construction and bank loans; Priority shall be given to the introduction of new technologies in foreign exchange; Transportation priority. These priorities have played a decisive role in the development of the textile industry.

In terms of textile export, in addition to meeting the quantity, new requirements have been put forward for quality, variety, design and grade. At that time, there were several "priorities" from the central government. During the technical transformation of the old factory, we equipped some equipment that could improve product quality and increase variety. Many of these equipment needed to be imported, so the country provided us with foreign exchange to meet the needs of purchasing equipment. In the past, our textiles were mainly exported to the former Soviet Union and the new democratic countries. At that time, we earned bookkeeping foreign exchange. In the 1960s and 1970s, we needed cash foreign exchange, so we needed to export to capitalist countries.

In this context, higher requirements on variety, quality and delivery date have been put forward for our textile industry. In this regard, the Central Committee has given us a lot of policy support. In order to improve the product grade and product structure, we have accelerated the pace of technological transformation of enterprises. I remember that when we were exporting, we mainly used "two yarns and two fabrics". Later, in addition to "two yarns and two fabrics", we also produced colored fabrics. In order to improve the degree of deep processing of products, the factory needs to equip some new equipment, such as combers, twisting machines, and imported some extra wide wide looms, new printing and dyeing, finishing equipment, rotor spinning, new spinning equipment, as well as various shuttleless looms, water jet, air jet, rapier, projectile looms; Flat screen printing, rotary screen printing, dyeing machine, post-processing equipment, etc. These hardware have accelerated the pace of enterprise transformation and made it possible for us to produce high-end marketable textiles.

Three channels

Understand the demand of foreign trade market

In addition, in order to meet the needs of capitalist countries' markets and understand the international market, we have strengthened our research on the international textile market. Minister Qian grasped this problem very early. In the early 1960s, the Ministry sent people to the Hong Kong Research Group. At first, the Hong Kong China Resources Company was established there by our Minister Qian. Later, we sent researchers to the Hong Kong China Resources Company to learn about the capitalist market, do research there, and buy some samples and cloth, It provides "eyes" for domestic textile exports.

As for the research, we will send people to Hong Kong for research, and we will also organize research at the Canton Fair twice a year. Because it was a planned economy at that time, our textile department was only responsible for production, the Ministry of Commerce was responsible for domestic sales, and the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation was responsible for foreign sales. We export our products to textile import and export companies affiliated to the Ministry of Economic and Trade, and our products are provided to them for external underwriting. Since we cannot directly understand the needs of foreign manufacturers, when textile import and export companies organize the Canton Fair, we send people to negotiate with them to understand the needs of the international market. After coming back, write a research report and convey it to our technical and design personnel. This is also a channel for us to organize new product development.

Another channel is the Frankfurt International Clothing Fair, which is organized once a year. When we went, an expert from the Production Department led a team to organize some high-level comrades from the provincial and municipal enterprises in the export base to carry out research together. After the research, write a report and convey it. Many pattern designers even draw and present the new patterns they see to everyone to see what kind of patterns are needed in the market and what the price is. In this way, we can gradually adapt to the needs of capitalist market exports to solve quality , variety, design and color, and develop new products. Due to the need of work, the Ministry has also set up some institutions, such as the Product Development Department and the Export Department.

In this process, in order to better understand the needs of the capitalist market, we set up the Fashion Color Association. Fashion Color Association has played a vital role in expanding our textile exports.

With the deepening of reform and opening up, we must understand the circulation while engaging in production. Once when I attended the National Economic Work Conference, I heard a report from Comrade Zou Jiahua, who believed that we should focus on both production and production in the future sale , become a complete cycle. So, we began to try independent export. How can we organize independent export? Our production department has organized seven textile companies nationwide to fight for the right to operate abroad. At the Canton Fair, several of our textile companies directly conducted foreign trade negotiations, and now this has been done very well.

In the early 1980s, we learned that Shenzhen could engage in foreign trade and business. After our research, the leaders of the Ministry decided to set up a Hualian company in Shenzhen, with the participation of 18 provinces and cities. Later, Director Fan of our production department set up a company in Shenzhen. Hualian Company gives us a window in Shenzhen where we can directly trade with others and really understand international market More marketable products can increase the selling price and create more foreign exchange for the country.

Eight hour man hour

Realize five-day working system more than ten years in advance

I have worked in the production department for many years, and I also want to talk about the working hours of textile workers. Minister Qian attaches great importance to the life of textile workers. In September 1952, Minister Qian sent a Report on the Working Hours System of Textile Factory Workers to the Central Committee. At that time, there were two shifts in the textile factory, each working 10~12 hours. The working hour system report required that two shifts per day should be changed from 12 hours to three shifts per day, 8 hours.

Minister Qian's report was approved by the Central Committee and soon popularized in our state-owned textile factories. It was also popularized in private textile factories around 1953. Our textile workers were the first to implement the eight hour working system. This played a vital role in reducing labor intensity, increasing production and improving labor productivity at that time.

In 1983, due to the need of production development for domestic and export sales, textile mills were working overtime at that time. Taking Jiangxi Jiujiang Cotton Textile Factory as a pilot, we changed three shifts to four shifts, and implemented four shifts and three operations, which means that we added one shift of workers, who work for six days and can rest for two days. In fact, this is equivalent to our five-day work system later. For workers, it is more than ten years earlier than the national five-day work system. At that time, our textile workers believed that this was the second liberation, and 300000 people were employed.

In addition, we have established a post wage system. In the 1950s, the wages of our textile workers were very high, but in the early 1980s, compared with other industries, our workers' wages were low. Because we have a lot of salary levels for the barricades, there are 15 levels, and the level difference is relatively small. So at that time, we put forward that we should first formulate labor standards, divide our barricades into different levels of posts, strive for labor wages according to posts, and achieve distribution according to work.

In 1985, the State Council approved our five post salary system. These changes in the labor system and the formulation of the post wage system were organized by the comrades of the Labor and Wage Department of the Production Department of the Ministry of Textiles, relying on the investigation and joint completion of the provincial and municipal departments of textile industry, and the majority of labor and capital cadres of enterprises. In addition, in the mid-1980s, in order to solve the problems of labor wages and labor protection, we also established the Textile Labor Association.

About the author

Cai Zukun, a retired cadre of the Retired Cadre Bureau of the State owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, was once the director of the Production Coordination Department of the Ministry of Textile Industry and a senior engineer