In honor of the record of the Stakhanovs
In the USSR, Miners’ Day was first celebrated in 1948. After the Great Patriotic War, when the country seriously needed coal to increase production rates, the Soviet authorities decided to encourage black gold miners. In 1947, the Ministry of Coal Industry of the USSR proposed to organize a professional holiday for coal miners. It was officially celebrated on August 29, 1948, which coincided with the day of the first registration of the Stakhanovs.
Miner Alexei Stakhanov at the Tsentralnaya-Irmino mine. Ukrainian SSR.
DEA News
Thirteen years ago, in 1935, a miner Aleksey Stakhanov in Donbass extracted 102 tons of coal for a six-hour shift at the Tsentralnaya-Irmino mine on the night of August 30-31, exceeding the predicted amount by 14.5 times. Given that the miner was working with a drill at the time, this was a world record for labor efficiency.
Workers who are part of Stakhanov and his team broke their own record, removing 227 tons of coal per shift in less than 3 weeks. Six months later, 324 tons per shift were removed. Thanks to this work of the brigade, the term “Stakhanov movement” appeared in the Union, and then all over the world.
The “Golden Age” of the coal industry
The early 1950s was a period of extreme economic development for the USSR. In 1958, the country took the 1st place in terms of coal production volume indicators and held the world advantage for 20 years.
The “golden age” of the coal industry in the USSR lasted until the end of the 1980s.
This period is marked by an increase in coal production, an increase in the production capacity of enterprises, an increase in the technical level of coal mining processes, an improvement in the methods of developing beds, the introduction of rational systems for the organization of labor and production.
The miner’s profession has become one of the most respected and prestigious professions.
Hard work paid well. In those days, the common saying was fixed: “The salary is like the salary of the miner.”
“You Can’t Live Like This”
The 90s were remembered by many residents of the country with a large number of miner strikes. The prerequisite was the deterioration in the supply of food and industrial products to the mining towns and villages in the context of the growing total famine in the country.
Miners’ resentment was driven by poor safety standards, as well as a lack of decent pay and poor quality of life.
Strong and tough men striking Moscow from the industrial areas of the country, banging their helmets on the asphalt, shouted, “You can’t live like this!” they chanted.
coal renaissance
The program of industry restructuring undertaken by the country leadership, increased global demand for coal, strengthening economic ties with foreign partners, supply of high-performance equipment to mines and extensive mechanization of mining work in general, the shift of the vector to open coal mines, led to an increase in coal production and exports, and hence the revival of the industry. opened.
In the past 20 years, the production and export of such fuels in our country has been steadily increasing at an average rate of 2.9% and 9.6% per year.
Alina Dzhus/socialbites.ca
Experts to understandin 2018-2021. Russia started a renaissance in the coal industry and now the Russian coal industry continues to grow strongly.
How to make friends with the environment?
Former head of the cleaning team at the Kotinskaya mine (now named after VD Yalevskiy) of the SUEK-Kuzbass company, Kuzbass Honored Miner Vladimir Melnik, who was also awarded the title of Hero of Labor of the Russian Federation – his team set 4 Russian records and 1 world record in coal production – ever There is no doubt that coal has a future.
He explains that now more than a third of the energy that humanity consumes comes from coal, and expresses confidence that we can talk about mining and ecology. The important thing is to use environmentally friendly technologies.
Melnik emphasizes that modern mineral water treatment plants are installed in all enterprises of SUEK-Kuzbass. Most of the volume is cleared and used for the needs of the mine, the rest flows into the river. And the water is actually of drinking quality.
Press service of the company “SUEK – Kuzbass”
“Or take methane, a dangerous gas. And in the Kuzbass it has been “domesticated” for more than 15 years. So in the mine named after SM. Kirov has a full department for degassing and recycling. Before mining, methane is pumped out, and electricity and heat are obtained from the resulting gas,” adds the honorable miner.
According to him, such steps allow the industry to be “environmentally friendly”.
“The country will have no future,” said Honored Miner of the Russian Federation Viktor Bitkulov, mining machine operator of the preparatory work division No. 7 of Listvyazhnaya Mine LLC, in an interview with socialbites.ca. coal industry.”
“Coal was, is and will be. After all, it was created by nature from ancient plants. The planet, of course, needs to stay green and be protected. And by the way, our coal miners in Kuzbass are doing a lot for this,” Bitkulov points out.
He remembers when he came to work at the mine in 1985, it was physically demanding to work physically.
“Tools, spare parts; yes, consider everything you need to carry with you. Then, as the years passed, our production started to become more and more mechanized. Now the equipment is delivered by diesel locomotives. In the end, I think it will be even easier and simpler, but the mine will never be unmanned. Someone has to drive the machines, and you have to want and be able to do it. And I am sure that the number of such people will increase in Kuzbass,” Bitkulov continues.
“People who are far from the coal industry still think that we are digging and shoveling. That hasn’t been the case for a long time,” laughs Melnik, explaining that the mine is today a high-tech, almost fully automated production.
“Of course, a person is needed at the mine, but that person is increasingly acting as the controller of the operation of the equipment. I think that the desolate lava, where only cars will remain, is not far away, and the operator on the surface will control them, ”says Melnik.
The return of old prestige
Both experts point out that the prestige of the mining profession has increased.
“I have been in the profession since 1986, I have seen a lot. It’s not just how technology has changed from simple complexes to modern high-performance giants. I live in a coal region and have only recently seen the prestige of the mining profession increase,” says Melnik.
Press service of the company “SUEK – Kuzbass”
The honorable miner says he has found different times, both 90s despair and despair. And now rapid development sees perspective.
“Young people go to the mine, not asking ‘where else’. They understand that coal production is prestigious, there is an opportunity to develop, grow professionally and earn good money without leaving their native land, what to hide. That’s why I’m happy to have young experts join our ranks, which means we have a future for staff,” says Melnik.
“We have remained faithful to our profession. My father has worked all his life in the mine, I work, and my son is a miner. You can’t take him out of us, it’s in our blood, I guess. How many of the people living in Kuzbass work in the coal industry? Yes, thousands, tens of thousands! One in the mine, one in the open pit, one in the processing plant. Coal is our life,” Bitkulov admits.
Honored Miner of the Russian Federation Viktor Bitkulov with his son Maxim.
Press Service of Listvyazhnaya Mine LLC
most important day
In Kuzbass and Melnik, Miners’ Day and Butkulov are called the most popular holidays. Everyone celebrates it, even those who have never worked in the mine.
For coal miners, it’s always some kind of New Year, Melnik says. Production competitions, competitions for the best in the profession, records, production increase and summaries were held on Miners’ Day.
“Of course, my contact circle is mostly miners; After all, I have been in production for many years. Our mood is positive,” she admits.
“This is the most beloved male holiday, where you feel the brotherhood of the miner. We always try to meet and celebrate with the team. This year we came to Kemerovo for the miners’ parade. We met up with the connection of our tunneling brigade on Saturday and with the family on vacation on Sunday. It’s a generational tradition,” Bitkulov concludes.
Source: Gazeta
Ben Stock is a business analyst and writer for “Social Bites”. He offers insightful articles on the latest business news and developments, providing readers with a comprehensive understanding of the business world.