On the occasion of Metinvest's foundation day, the most active and experienced retired employees of the Group's enterprises were honoured with the Metinvest Luminary Award.
The award was introduced this year to honour retired employees for their personal labour merits during their work at the company's enterprises, for their active civic stance, and social initiative during their well-deserved retirement.
The awarding ceremonies for the most active and experienced retired employees with the Metinvest Luminary Award took place in Kryvyi Rih, Zaporizhzhia, and Kamianske.
Such awarding ceremonies will become traditional and be held annually before 6th June, which marks the anniversary of the Metinvest Group's founding.
"The high title of Metinvest Luminary is our sincere gratitude to our retired employees for their labour, loyalty to their home enterprise, and their big hearts. Each of them has a unique life story, inextricably connected to the history of Metinvest enterprises. Our present day and the foundation on which the company and Ukrainian industry in general have grown were created with their hands. We remember Metinvest pensioners and are proud of you. May this honourable award become yet another bright page in your lives!" said Yuriy RYZHENKOV, CEO of Metinvest Group.
In total, 40 retired employees of Metinvest were honoured with the high title of Metinvest Luminary this year, with a total work experience at the company's assets of over 1,500 years. Many of them hold honourable titles such as the Enterprise Labour Veteran, Honoured Worker of Ukraine, and are also representatives of large professional dynasties within Metinvest.
At Zaporizhstal, Zaporizhcoke, and Zaporizhvohnetriv, 11 retired employees received the award.
"The Metinvest Luminary title is, first and foremost, recognition of the contribution that our retired employees have made to the life of the enterprise, to its past, where a reliable foundation was laid for present achievements and future success. It recognises their active stance and commitment to their profession even when you are no longer working beside furnaces or rolling mills, yet still feel you are part of a large family and actively participate in its life. We honour those who made their profession their life's work!" noted Taras SHEVCHENKO, Acting General Director of Zaporizhstal, Hero of Ukraine.
The award was presented to, among others, Mykola Stepanets, a railway worker from Zaporizhstal. The man dedicated over 37 years to working at the enterprise. He began his career as a locomotive driver's assistant. Later, he took up the position of locomotive driver. After that, he became a locomotive driver instructor. As an expert, he conducted training courses for locomotive drivers, and between 1984 and 2012 both at the plant and at the Dnipropetrovsk Institute for Workers' Education, he trained over 1,000 specialists.
The retired Zaporizhstal employee also has state-level honours – the title of Honoured Transport Worker of Ukraine, the Order of Labour Glory, and a Certificate of Honour from the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine.
"It has always been an honour for me to work at Zaporizhstal. Even now, my colleagues who currently work there sometimes call me for consultations. I am happy to help with advice. I have always believed that the most important thing is to love your profession, to come to work with pleasure. Then you grow as a specialist and your career develops well," said Mykola STEPANETS.
The award also recognised Lidiia Malko's 40 years of experience working at Zaporizhvohnetriv.
"My career began as a shift supervisor at the grinding section. Later, I became head of the grinding section in the magnesia products shop. Of course, I always tried to pass on my knowledge to the young generation of production workers. I was a mentor, and also a teacher on courses covering related professions. I taught crushing machine operators, mechanical sieve powder screening operators, and charge preparation workers," recalled Lidiia MALKO.
At the time, Lidiia participated in a working group for launching a new magnesite processing line, and also for commissioning a CC-80 crusher of German manufacture. In addition, she was an active participant of a proposal submitting system. She was awarded the Order of Princess Olha Third Class and a Certificate of Honour from the Executive Committee of Zaporizhzhia City Council.
"It is very pleasant that my work and my achievements have been recognised. It is an honour to be one of the first Metinvest Luminaries," concluded Lidiia Malko.
