Metinvest has faced a serious staffing problem due to the massive mobilisation of its employees into the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The company’s chief operating officer, Alexander Mironenko, said this in an interview with the influential German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung. According to him, Metinvest is currently short 4,000 employees, which is about a fifth of the required staff.
“We are one of the leading companies in terms of mobilisation and have been in this position since the beginning of the war. We employ about 60,000 people, of whom more than 8,000 are currently at the frontline. Unfortunately, more than 600 of our employees have already been killed. Every month, 100 to 170 of our employees are mobilised. It is very difficult to restore the staff,” said Mironenko.
He also highlighted the difficulties in booking staff to ensure the continuous operation of the steelmaking facilities. Under the current legislation, the company is unable to retain a sufficient number of employees locally. For stable operation of technologically complex enterprises such as steel mills, at least 80% of the staff must be booked, while the company can currently provide only half of them.
“Of course, we can mobilise all Ukrainian workers, but wars are not won without the economy and taxes. The steel industry is key to the economy, and ensuring its uninterrupted operation is of strategic importance,” said Mironenko.
Meanwhile, many men in Ukraine choose informal employment to avoid mobilisation, which further complicates the situation on the labour market.
