Vladimír Molčan comes from Spiš region and came to Košice in November 1987 to be with his future wife. The steelworks were looking for new people at the time because a fifth shift had to be introduced at the coking plant on January 1 of the following year.

"So I came to join the former No. 2 Coke Battery and I went through all the blue-collar positions. Then No. 2 Coke Battery was shut down and I moved to No. 1 Coke Battery, which had been renovated. There I worked at all the service machines, I was a shift worker, a foreman, a shift supervisor. After a few years, I moved to No. 3 Coke Battery as a shift foreman, and later I worked as a foreman for heating and repairing refractory masonry in the battery chambers. Since December 2013, I have been the coke production manager for both batteries," says Vladimír Molčan.

Working with people is getting harder and harder

That was when he started thinking about leaving, about changing jobs. Previously, he had managed 10–12 people as a foreman, and suddenly he was in charge of 220 people: "I couldn't even sleep. I lived only for work, and then we had a serious accident at No. 1 Coke Battery, so I spent my days all through evenings rewriting regulations. On top of that, as an operations manager, I was earning less than I used to make as a foreman. So I was thinking about leaving for a while. But where do you go when you're over 50? There are no other coking plants in the area. I'm a metallurgical engineer, but I couldn't even get a job at another plant. So I said to myself, 'To hell with it, I'll stay.'"

He says that working with people is getting harder and harder. It's not like it used to be, when the foreman told you exactly what to do and everyone did it. "Today, I often hear excuses like, 'That's not my job. ' Or someone will come in with a paper from a doctor I know they never visited, and I can't do anything about it. Today, many people lie, beat around the bush, and tell half-truths. I tell everyone what I think, even if it's not always pleasant. That makes me very easy to read. But on the other hand, I've never lied to anyone. That's my principle, which I've followed all my life. Never lie to anyone. Of course, I expect the same from others."

During his career, he was actively involved in the modernization of the coking plant, mainly in projects related to the rebuilding of the heating walls of No. 3 Coke Battery and the replacement of raw coke oven gas extraction systems. "This is not done anywhere else in the world. When a coking plant is built, its service life is determined. Then it is shut down and a new one is built. However, we have managed to modernize it gradually."

"Since joining the coking plant, Vlado has held several blue-collar and managerial positions, eventually becoming operations manager. This makes him a true expert in coke production. He is truly exceptional in his work. He is always available for the coking plant and can handle even the most demanding situations related to the operation of coking batteries with ease. Those who know him know that he is often eccentric, but at the same time he is loyal and dedicated to his job. I respect him as an expert in coke production, of whom there are very few left today," says Vladimír Molčan, director of the Oto Viszlay Coking Plant, describing his colleague, who was awarded the badge for long service.

His hobby is mushroom picking

In the past, Vladimír Molčan played competitive card games and traveled to tournaments throughout Slovakia. Now, his biggest hobby is walking in the woods and picking mushrooms. "Whenever I have the opportunity, I'm in the woods, picking various kinds of edible mushrooms. I've often filled two baskets so I had to stop because I had nowhere else to put them. I give most of them away. One thing is the joy of walking in the woods and picking mushrooms, another is what to do with them afterwards. They have to be cleaned, sliced, dried... I prefer mushroom picking in the fall. Summer mushrooms are usually wormy and scarce. You're more likely to encounter a bear than a decent mushroom.”

Goulash and pierogi also appealed to his English friends

Vlado has a daughter who lives in Cornwall, England. He visited her recently: "My daughter has a restaurant and wanted to do a Slovak evening, so I went to help her. We cooked goulash. I've cooked a lot of goulashes in my life, regularly, almost every Saturday, in a 25-liter cauldron. And no one has ever complained. My son-in-law also really likes goulash. I helped my daughter with the pirohy (pierogi). I made 300 of them! They were served as an appetizer. The main course was goulash with dumplings, and for dessert there was apple-cinnamon strudel with ice cream, but I didn't make that. I was glad that the guests at my daughter's restaurant really enjoyed the Slovak menu."

Photo: Ján Kisucký