The General Director of the “Zaporizhstal” Steel Works Rostislav Shurma participated in the V National Expert Forum “Ukraine. The test of strength “, which held Gorshenin Institute in Kiev March 31, 2015. The Head of the Steel plant with People’s Depute of Ukraine Sergei Taruta, Minister of Energy and Coal Industry of Ukraine Pavel Demchishin and other leading native and foreign experts discussed the economic situation in Ukraine under the conditions of warfighting.
Rostislav Shurma about how the domestic steel industry is surviving now as exemplified by the “Zaporizhstal” Steel Works.
Over the past 6-9 months prices for our products dropped by more than 40%, the whole economy of the country is in tight situation, so it is not difficult to imagine the situation in which metallurgical enterprises turned out – said Rostislav Shurma. – Every day, coming to work, our team faces with another problem. For example, in winter was the constant threat of power outages, and after all, the metallurgical complex, where continuously there are physical and chemical processes, can not be disconnected from the power supply with the only movement of circuit breaker.
According to the leader of the “Zaporizhstal” Steel Works, warfare that are taking place in eastern Ukraine, have a significant impact on the work of enterprise.
A few months ago we were almost on the verge of stopping, for want of limestone: supply from Crimea was stopped, in Donbass there is a war on and rail communication was badly hit, – said the general director. – And in addition there are problems with raising of railway tariff rates for cargo transportation, exchange rate, and import payments. Until now we have managed to cope with difficult situations – we pay salaries fully and timely to our employees, but at the same time, there are Ukrainian steel plants that are fully stopped.
Rostislav Shurma also mentioned that in order to achieve the following positive developments in the country, we need to pay more attention to the needs and problems of ordinary Ukrainians.
– There is a trap into which fall all the leaders – the desire to think large scale and public interests, with that, put on the back burner the usual needs of ordinary people. For myself, I simply decide this issue: my every working day I spend in shops, on production sites, where I can directly hear and see the problems, from the production issues to life problems that worry employees of the Works. Certainly, you need to think in terms of national interests, but it is important not to forget about the needs of particular person.