During 2020, more than 33.5 thousand employees and retirees of DTEK Pavlogradvugiullya received the traditional social support from the company: the reimbursement of utilities and free coal to heat up their houses. Last year, more than 65.8 thousand tons of coal were transferred to the miners’ families and more than UAH 86 million was compensated for electricity, gas and heating. Thus, DTEK Pavlogradvugiullya supports its current and former employees within the framework of the Collective Bargaining Agreement.
“Last year was quite a difficult one for our companies due to the crisis in the energy sector, which intensified during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the spring, we were forced to shut down our mines for three weeks due to low demand for coal for the very first time in 15 years that Pavlogradvugiullya has been part of DTEK. However, despite the considerable financial difficulties, DTEK, as a socially responsible business, takes care of its current and former employees, so it did not allow for any delays in payment of salaries and did not reduce the social package provided by the Collective Bargaining Agreement. For many years in a row, we have been partially reimbursing our employees for utilities. Moreover, we provide coal to those who reside in homes with stove heating. Such kind of support makes it easier for our people to pay utility bills and allows them to heat their homes in winter,” said Serhiy Voronin CEO, DTEK Pavlogradvugiullya.
According to the Collective Bargaining Agreement, UAH 6,000 is allocated annually to each employee and UAH 4,500 to the enterprise’s retirees as reimbursement of the utility costs per one family or household. Those who live in homes with stove heating are entitled to 5.9 tons of coal per year or 2.95 tons and 50% of the amount of cash compensation, if a family uses both coal and other types of heating.
For individual heating, the miners are provided with coal concentrate, which is pre-enriched at Pavlograd Coal Processing Plant. The coal is delivered as per established schedules in the first and second halves of the year. Reimbursement of the utility payments is paid twice a year.
Olexandr Mykhailovich Bulgakov, Pavlogradvugiullya’s labour veteran is sure that such kind of help from the enterprise, where he worked for so many years, is very relevant: “As a retiree, it is a solid aid for me. In one-half of the year I get the coal, in the other I get reimbursed for the gas I use for my heating and household needs. Given huge heating tariffs that we have today, this is an enormous support and concern. By the way, they bring coal to retirees free of charge. I am aware that I am guaranteed to be supplied with fuel every year”.