Steel generations X: The invaluable heritage of Ukrainian miners

Gennadiy Chirva is a miner whose family tradition stretches over 416 man-years! Gennadiy has made his own contribution to it – he has been working in mining for almost 37 years. Now he is a chief engineer of deep mining at ArcelorMittal Kryviy Rih, in Ukraine…

“My grandfather had 5 children and 12 grandchildren. All of them worked at the mines. The total length of employment of our family amounts to over 400 years. My son Anton is a miner of 4 generation.

I showed him the mine when he was only 6 years old because he asked me to. My grandson is 3 years old and I will not be surprised if he says to me soon: ‘Show me the mine!’ Maybe we have genes of miners. The whole life of our family is connected to the mine. If a member of our family says that he has received the mine with the milk of his mother he repeats the thought of many generations.

I remember my father Grigoriy Chirva. For a quarter of the century he was the chief of the mine #1 named after Artyom. His length of employment was 37 years. He told me 3 precepts of miners:

• to work you have to know
• to know you have to go to the mine
• to go to the mine you have to be healthy

Health and Safety of miners is strictly controlled at ArcelorMittal Kryviy Rih. The mine office team understands the importance of their work for the whole mill, especially in the current difficult conditions of the economy.  We believe and know that mining is very important for the company’s future. The depths of Krivbass have many ores. Our family will be ready to take part in the mining of this richness.”

Collaboration: Olga Zakharchenko, the newspaper “Metallurg” journalist, ArcelorMittal Kryviy Rih
Photo: Andrey Onischenko, the newspaper “Metallurg” photographer, ArcelorMittal Kryviy Rih (Spasiba!!!)