INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS A VISIT

W I T H OUR B U L G A R I A N F R I E N D S

P. F o m i n Translated from Metallurg, No. 3, pp. 37-38, March, 1962

The international relations of the workers of our country with the workers, peasants, and intelligentsia of other countries of the world grow stronger with each passing day. The exchange of tourists and trade union delegations and trips by those active in science and culture promote peace and mutual understanding among nations. In September 1961 the Soviet trade union delegations, by invitation of the Central Committee of the Trade Union of Miners in Bulgaria, left for the People's Republic of Bulgaria. The delegation included: P. A. Fomin, member of the Presidium of the Central Committee of the Trade Union of Workers in the Metallurgical Industry; I. N. Shokin, chairman of the plant trade union committee of the "Krasnyy Vyborzhets" Plant; and M. M. Lukashenko, shift chief of the open-hearth mill of the Dzerzhinskii Plant. The arrival of our delegation in Sofia coincided with a great holiday of the Bulgarian people - t h e 17th anniversary of the liberation of the country from fascism. Demonstrators and military units-participants in the parade-were passing over the 9th of September Square. This was a vigorous demonstration carried out under the slogan of eternat and indissoluble friendship between the peoples of Bulgaria and the Soviet Union. The demonstrators carried portraits of the leaders of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and placards with slogans in honor of the CPSU and the Soviet people. The enormous achievements of the Bulgarian people which were attained under the leadership of the Communist Party during the past 17 years were reflected on panels and models. Industry in Bulgaria has especially grown. The volume of industrial production exceeded the 1939 level (this was the highest level) by a factor of eleven plus. The metallurgists during this time achieved great success. In 1939 Bulgaria produced 5500 tons of steel, but in 1961 more than 300,000 tons were produced. The purpose of our visit was to become familiar with the enterprises and to exchange the experience of trade union work with the Bulgarian metallurgists. We visited the Lenin Metallurgical Plant in Dimitrov and the G. Damyanov Copper-Smelting Combine. Construction of the LeninMetallurgical Plantstarted in 1949, and in 1953 the first two open-hearth furnaces were put into operation. A year later the structural and merchant-mill shop started to produce and in 1960 the pride of the plant, the sheet-rolling shop (1100 and 2300 mills), was outfitted with modern equipment; all processes were mechanized and automated. The main production is sheet 6-18 and 18-32 mm thick Great reserves for increasing steel production rest in the open-hearth shop; charging is sometimes dragged out to 2-3 hr, downtime for repairs comprise 13-17%, patching takes up to 1 hr, repairs of the hearth last 9-10 hr. All these shortcomings were pointed out by steeI-maker M. M. Lukashenko,who willingly shared the experience of his work and reiated how it would be possible to reduce downtimes and increase furnace durability and gave a number of helpful hints to his professional comrades. Our delegation was impressed by the visit to the G. Damyanov Copper-Smelting Combine-this enterprise wasstarted in 1959. The plant produces copper, copper sulfate and sulfuric acid. The spacious light shops of the plant are equipped with the latest machinery and the industrical processes are mechanized and automated. At the enterprises which the delegation visited, we saw an enormous political and industrial enthusiasm of the workers, engineers, technicians, and white-coIlar workers who were striving to fulfill ahead of schedule the production plan and to augment the wealth of the country. Competition between plants, shops, shifts, brigades, and individual workers to increase the productivity of labor, to decrease the cost of production, and to improve the quality of the output has acquired truly gigantic proportions in the country.

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The plant trade union committees, together with the administration of the enterprises, once each quarter award first place to the best shops, shifts, and brigades, present the red challenge banners and allot, from the fund of the enterprises,bonuses to the workers, engineers, and technicians. Competition among the leading professions are widespread at the m e t a l l u r g i c a l plant. Semiannually the plant committee and administration summarize the resuIts of the competition; the victors are awarded the title "Best In The Profession," valuable gifts are handed out, and three-day additional leaves are granted. The trade union organizations of the country carry out great work to attract workers to the administration of the enterprises. The production plan is discussed widely- at meetings of workers and administrators, at industrial conferences, and is presented to the higher economic organization for the signatures of the director of the enterprise and the plant trade union committee. If some suggestions of the trade union organizations for the annual, quarter, and monthly plans are refused, the higher economic organs require that an explanation be given to the workers' collective. The work of the industrial conferences is of ir,terest; all suggestions that have been submitted are e x amined by the administration together with the trade Soviet trade union delegation at the O. Damyanov Combine. union organization and exact periods for their fulfillment are established. The accepted suggestions are binding for the administration and the latter must regularly inform the workers about the results of their adoption. If individual managers do not fulfill the resolutions of the industrial conferences then by decree of the plant c o m m i t tee they are partially deprived of industrial rewards. The managers and the trade union organizations of the plants are deeply cojacerned with the creation of safe and heatthy working conditions: the workers of the main metallurgical shops are on a seven-hour working day, and on jobs endangering health they are on a six-hour day; effective ventilation has been installed in the shops and good

Blast-furnace shop of the Lenin Plant in Dimitrov.

showers and dressing rooms are available. Considerable attention is devoted to instructing the workers on safety measures. Each newly arriving worker takes a 2 to 3-hr course on safety after which he is sent to the shop,where the foreman instructs him and assigns him to a highly qualified worker under whose direction he works for two weeks. Then the new worker takes a test on the results of safety and only after this is he atlowed to work independently. Repeated instructions are carried out during the year. As a result of this, traumatism at the G. Damyanov Combine is negligible. The inspectors for labor protection carry out important work, laying down numerous rules. The inspector not only issues mandatory orders to the administration, but he can also stop the work of individual units where safety conditions have not been met.

During our visit to the Bulgarian enterprises we talked to the workers, managers, and active trade union m e m bers; we were asked in detail about the practice of competition for communistlabor, about the work of the permanent industrial conferences and about the system of wages for workers, engineers and technicians at Soviet enterprises. We attempted, as fully as possible, to answer these questions. This was a good exchange of working experience between the Bulgarian and Soviet metallurgists.

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Our delegation was also interested in the rest and therapy of Bulgarian workers. We visited the sanitoriums and rest homes on the coast of the Black Sea at Varna. Magnificent conditions for rest and therapy of the workers have been created at these health resorts. The Soviet delegation was constantly under the attention and care of the trade union committees and managers. We were warmly and cheerfully greeted at the metallurgical enterprises. These meetings serve to further strengthen the brotherly bonds between our nations.

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