Employee Spotlight: Oksana Lubianychenko
Oksana Lubianychenko has worked at the Hostomel glassworks for most of her life. Since she started in January 1996, only the war has interrupted her 29-year career – for one year. She started as an apprentice glass production controller, moved to the measuring laboratory, became a machine line controller and finally worked for a long time as a shift supervisor – until the war.
"I didn't really have a choice when I was young," she says. "My father and other relatives worked in the glassworks, so I started there too. I liked it and the rhythm of the factory became part of my life. There is a magic about glass making that is hard to put into words."
After the liberation of Hostomel and the resumption of production, she returned as cold end operator. Her main task is to prevent production errors. She is driven by her team: "I am lucky to work with friendly and experienced colleagues. You're never alone on the line with a problem - there's always someone to help. That's why I've never thought about changing companies. This is my work family."
A turning point for her and her colleagues was when the glassworks became part of the Vetropack Group. "We reacted positively because the company was actively developing: the technology was modernised, the working conditions improved and even the atmosphere changed," she recalls.
The biggest challenge of her professional life was the occupation of Hostomel and the destruction of the factory. But she and her colleagues never gave up hope. "Rebuilding was a real challenge, but we believed we could resume production. That gave us strength. And we still believe that the plant will grow and resume full production," says Oksana Lubianychenko.