Cseh Valentin szerk.: „70 éve alakult a MAORT” – tanulmányok egy bányavállalat történetéből (2009)

Tibor Laklia: MAORT through the Eyes of a Former Employee

MAORT's good relations with the leaders of the villages and farmers was widely known. Oil prospecting, then drilling, production and pipeline construction was in progress in the lands, forests, and meadows. All of these activities caused damage to property owners. MAORT's damage assessors and legal counsel managed to strike agreements and quickly compensate such damage at a fair value for many years. The third: the relationship with the authority licensing the implementation of oil industry facilities. As we know, crude oil and natural gas drilling, production, and pipeline transmission activity was subject to mining authority oversight. The Mining Authority approved facilities' designs, and issued written permits for their implementation. As several important documents attest, the company secured such permits for every one of its jobs. The fast issue of licenses goes to prove that the submitted designs complied with stipulations from the technical and safety engineering perspective alike. We need to note that during the first years, just four engineers and eight technicians performed this work under the direction of Zoltán Gyulay. Let us finally say a couple of words about "MAORT" as an attribute. I do not think it would be an exaggeration to say the being affiliated with MAORT meant a certain rank even at the very beginning, and this was not a function oi just greeting one another by saying "Good Luck!" or the improvement of our finances. The notion of "OUR COMPANY" developed very quickly. The MAORT logo displayed on motor vehicles and personal ID numbers, the sports clubs that were established at the plants, the benefits provided, but even common goals and quickly achieved drilling/production results all combined to provide the true rank to those \vorking in this profession. The wages that MAORT paid beiore and during the war far exceeded that nationwide average in every job grade - from engineers to labourers - even coming to double that in many instances. Wages were always paid on time, and this provided security in the ability to pav the rent, purchase groceries, and provide for the family. Nobody risked this security by being undisciplined, which would have lead to the threat of being laid-off. The management found a way to develop an appropriate wage level even as the new currency, the Forint was introduced, although proportions were different from the war years. One thing is nevertheless for sure: MAORT employees quickly regained their prestige at the stores and restaurants. Human relations, personnel related questions: In the beginning - until 1938 - the number of Hungarian managers (engineers, geologists, geophysicists) was hardly more than ten! In 1943, this figure changed significantly. Young engineers arriving from Sopron University had to fit in quickly in their new jobs, taking over knowdiow from older colleagues. They received fast, and continuous assistance for extraordinary tasks. As an example: Pál A. Szilas, a young mining engineer, started work as a plant geologist at the Pusztaszentlászló plant. He was assisted continuously in his work by dr. Kálmán Barnabás, who worked at the central office in Nagykanizsa. Diligent and bright drillers became tool pushers; they first learned a lot from the Americans in addition to their regular work, then from the Hungarian engineers who directed drilling activities.