Tan Yanlin： The national model worker is the highest honor and a lifelong responsibility.
Red Net Time Correspondent Peng Jie reports from Longshan, Xiangxi.
"As an ordinary worker, the’ national model worker’ is the highest honor and a lifelong responsibility! I will continue to play a leading role in demonstrating the spirit of model workers, labor spirit and craftsman spirit! " This is Tan Yanlin, the chairman of Rebamei Handmade Textiles Co., Ltd. in Longshan County, Hunan Province, who accepted the commendation of "National Model Worker" in the Great Hall of the People on November 24, and made a self-encouraging speech in the circle of friends.
Tan Yanlin attended the commendation meeting in Beijing.
However, how did Tan Yanlin grow from a junior high school dropout and wage earner to the chairman of a company with an output value of nearly 50 million yuan? How did she spread the hand-woven skills of Xiangxi to the world, weaving a "home for employment" with small handicrafts, and won the honor of "National Model Worker" again after being awarded the "National Award for Striving for Poverty Alleviation" by the State Council? The reporter interviewed Tan Yanlin, who returned with great honor, and visited her touching story of leading disabled and vulnerable groups and left-behind women to start businesses.
Go to the door to teach skills for the disabled.
Tan Yanlin, born in August, 1985, dropped out of school and went out to work because of family poverty. She was smart and diligent, working step by step, and worked in construction sites, supermarkets, factories and foreign companies until she became a department manager. However, something unexpected happened. At the peak of her career, she learned that her aunt had fallen, and she was paralyzed and lost confidence in life. In order to get her ingenious and good at knitting out of the predicament, she resolutely gave up her high-paying job and returned to her hometown to start a business in 2008. She opened a boutique to mainly produce and sell Tujia hand-woven products, and sold the hand-woven products overseas to France and Italy through e-commerce sales channels. The order has gradually increased from annual sales of more than 100,000 to millions.
The exhibits were appreciated by Princess Anne of the British royal family.
"We should do more responsibility for the society, arrange some disabled people like aunts to work in the company, and reduce the economic burden for disabled families." Seeing her aunt coming out of the corner, she decided to light hope for more disabled people, which is more meaningful than simply making money in her eyes.
The strong desire to start a company was born. After the establishment of Yabamei Handmade Textiles Co., Ltd., she recruited a number of disabled people, and the company also recycled the products that could not be sold after training. The workers’ hearts were so hot that the company became their "home".
Free door-to-door teaching technology for left-behind old people.
"I hope to push the hand-woven skills of Xiangxi to the world and industrialize folk handicrafts, so as to help more people in need and make their smiles their own happiness." Tan Yanlin expressed the temperature of the enterprise and the responsibility for society in simple language.
Treat people with integrity and win the trust of employees.
The road to starting a business is always full of bumps and thorns. When the company started, it often encountered problems such as new employees’ poor skills and difficult capital turnover. However, no matter what the wind and rain, Tan Yanlin always adhered to the principle of "honesty and trustworthiness", truly kept her promise, interpreted the meaning of "honesty" with practical actions, and warmed the hearts of employees and this big family with "honesty".
Pay disabled employees at home.
"There is a great waste of materials, and the number of products woven is small and the quality is not high, so it cannot be listed!" Speaking of the first batch of employees recruited by the company, her memory is particularly new. It turns out that the contract between the company and its employees stipulates that the employees weave according to the company’s design, and the company is responsible for providing raw materials and recycling sales. However, because the new employees are unfamiliar with technology, a lot of materials are wasted in the production process and the product quality is not high, and the company faces great economic losses.
"Honesty and trustworthiness, quality-oriented, must ensure the quality of products in order for the company to survive better, and seeking benefits for the disadvantaged groups is also the original intention of the company." Faced with this situation, Tan Yanlin gritted her teeth and resolutely recovered this batch of unqualified products. It is her move that makes this "big family" full of warmth glow with vitality. Everyone is full of enthusiasm, actively participates in training, and actively passes on, helps and leads. Soon, this group of employees can get rid of production, and those who are outstanding can also serve as "old masters". Two months later, the company’s 6000 high-quality products were freshly baked.
Tan Yanlin also formulated an "iron law" for the company-paying wages on time, which is a "reassuring" for employees and a guarantee for the success of employees and the company through thick and thin. The company’s operating cash flow is often poor. On one occasion, the company received a batch of large orders, and almost all the working capital ordered raw materials, but it was time to pay wages, and Tan Yanlin was so anxious that she couldn’t eat.
"If you don’t discuss with the employees to postpone it for a week, they will all agree." The financial staff is very distressed by her. "No, you must keep your word. Since you promise to pay your salary on the 5th of each month, you can’t default in any case." She traveled around, visiting relatives and friends, and finally paid her salary as scheduled.
"Every time I see their smiles when they get paid, I feel a sense of accomplishment!" Yan Lin said that as long as they can see their confidence in life rekindled with their own help, their lives will improve, their families will be happier, and it will be worthwhile to suffer more hardships and grievances.
Committed to poverty alleviation and actively helping the disadvantaged.
"It is my responsibility to make poor brothers and sisters in my hometown earn money at home." Today, Tan Yanlin’s poverty alleviation workshops have blossomed all over the state: since 2018, free manual skills training has been carried out in eight counties and cities in Xiangxi, with more than 4,000 trainings, and 23 poverty alleviation workshops have been set up throughout the state, which has led to the employment of thousands of sisters in urban and rural areas in eight counties and cities in Xiangxi. One by one, poor women can find jobs at home, crochet and knit by hand with their children, and get rid of poverty with their hands. More disabled people have realized their life value through hand knitting.
Rural poverty alleviation workshops drive employment at home.
Since 2015, Jabami Handmade Textiles Co., Ltd. has been producing according to the business model of "company+workshop+farmers, idle and vulnerable groups", attracting vulnerable people. Among the existing 1,247 workers, 226 are disabled and 910 are poor, accounting for 91.10%, which has driven more than 910 poor households out of poverty.
Carry out handicraft charity sale activities to help poor households.
Help disabled employees tailor "teaching materials" late at night, organize charity bazaars to help poor households, and visit special schools and nursing homes regularly … Since the establishment of the company, Tan Yanlin has never forgotten her initial heart, and has always kept disabled vulnerable groups and poor villagers in her heart, turning the "short board" of poverty alleviation into the "main force" of poverty alleviation, so that more mothers can weave a happy life where their children will no longer stay at home.
Tan Yanlin said that every time she sees the bright smiles on her sisters’ faces like sunflowers, she also sees the light of hope, which will be her lifelong responsibility.
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