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→ ArcelorMittal Ostrava launches a campaign to encourage new blood donors
Ostrava, October 6, 2009 – Almost one fifth of more than two hundred blood donors who were awarded Gold Red Cross of the third degree by the Czech Red Cross organization yesterday are employees of ArcelorMittal Ostrava. The Cross is awarded to people who have achieved their eightieth free blood donation. “We appreciate indeed the approach of the donors from ArcelorMittal as well as well as the attitude of the company management. The donors donate blood regularly and for free for people in need, both adults and children and for various hospital wards,” said Zuzana Čermáková, the senior consultant of the Blood Centre of the teaching hospital in Ostrava, during the ceremony.
There may be various reasons for blood donation. “I began to donate blood because of my wife. She received blood transfusion during childbirth and I promised myself to return what she had been given. And I have continued ever since,” said Kamil Michalík, electrician from ArcelorMittal Ostrava. “I decided to donate blood because my eldest daughter suffered from health problems and one never knows when they will need such a help, for example during an operation,” added Dušan Ťažký from the Steel Plant.
In the biggest steelmaking company blood donation has a long tradition. Tens of our employees are among those who are awarded every year. “We highly appreciate it. This year, though, we would like to encourage new blood donors and that is why we launched a campaign called 100 Minutes for Life at the beginning of October,” explained Monika Pěnčíková from the ArcelorMittal Ostrava Corporate Responsibility team. She added that the campaign to encourage new blood donors had been organized in conjunction with the Blood Centre in Ostrava Poruba. 100 minutes is the time that one spends on blood donation in a blood centre. “100 minutes is not much and by donating blood people contribute to saving lives. We wanted to encourage those who have been hesitant so far, maybe just because they are too busy,” said Pěnčíková.
Among the first employees of ArcelorMittal Ostrava who donated blood for the first time at the beginning of the campaign were also members of the Top Management – HR Director Ctirad Lolek, IT Director Hana Čuboňová and the CEO of subsidiary ArcelorMittal Frýdek-Místek, Tomáš Mischinger. “I am happy to have been able to donate blood and support the highly useful campaign despite being so busy. Time is our enemy, but the whole procedure really takes no more than 100 minutes,” said the HR Director about his experience. “The campaign is a good impetus. Hopefully it will make all of us realize that blood donation should be natural,“ Čuboňová added.
In the last few years the number of blood donors has decreased in the Czech Republic. “From October 1 until this morning the Blood Centre in Ostrava-Poruba has been visited by 74 permanent donors from ArcelorMittal Ostrava and 2 new donors with which we are very pleased,” emphasises Naděžda Kalužová from the Blood Centre. “We believe that our campaign 100 Minutes for Life will encourage new blood donors among our employees as well as employees of our subsidiaries,“ adds Monika Pěnčíková.
ArcelorMittal Ostrava a.s. is the largest steelmaker in the Czech Republic and a part of the world’s leading steel group ArcelorMittal. It produces more than 3 million tonnes of steel annually and exports approximately 50 per cent of its output to more than 80 countries all over the world. The Company has 6,600 employees; the total number of employees including the subsidiaries is over 9,300. Its major shareholders are ArcelorMittal Holdings A. G. (82.548 %) and Havrton Investment Ltd. (13.881 %). In the fiscal year of 2008 (April 1, 2008 – December 31, 2008), the Company generated a consolidated profit (after taxation) of CZK 6.077 billion. With its revenues of CZK 50.5 billion ArcelorMittal Ostrava is one of the biggest tax payers in the Czech Republic.