Even in peaceful times, one could not imagine operations at Metinvest Pokrovskcoal's sites without their female employees. In the time of war, when men are fighting for the country, this fact takes on a new meaning. Today an increasing number of members of the "fairer" sex are working underground and making a significant contribution to the victory.
Liudmyla Soldatenko, a miner of the underground mine transport section of CG "Pokrovs'ke", is one of the company's female employees working underground. She began her career as an underground miner almost three years ago. Before that, she had worked for 17 years as a pump plant operator. She learned the ropes of the underground trade at the company's Employee Training and Development Centre - and she does not regret her choice.
"Of course, sometimes it's not easy," says Liudmyla, "but I don't complain, I like my job. My husband Serhii and my son Vitalii also work at the colliery group. Together, we stand strong on the production front. Furthermore, for our family, working at the company means stability, which is especially important in such a difficult time of war."
Of course, you won't hear the common announcement "Attention! The train is arriving at such and such track at such and such platform" in a coal mine. However, mine transport - underground electric locomotives and diesel locomotives - operates here, carrying miners to their workplaces and transporting various goods and equipment. Liudmyla spends her six-hour shift in the charging depot, working alone. Her responsibilities include accounting and issuance of fuel and lubricants for the mine transport: diesel fuel, engine oil, and hydraulic oil. She is aware of the importance of her job, as she understands that her work is critical to the operation of the entire enterprise.
Liudmyla notes that the female army of underground workers at the enterprise has grown significantly recently.
"Overall, in the time of war, women have begun to play a considerably more important role in the country's economy," says Liudmyla, "More and more Ukrainian women are entering professions that were previously considered predominantly male. In the coal industry, for one. I know women who work in the colliery group as mining foremen, electric locomotive drivers, and underground plant operators. Their work is not easy, sometimes not women's work at all, but today it is so necessary for the country and the mine."
