“The compensation for firewood is more than one and a half pensions. And this is far from the only support provided to retirees by SFE “Forests of Ukraine,” says Yurii Skopiuk, who has worked in the forest his entire life

Yurii Ivanovych immediately adds: “My friends, acquaintances, and relatives often tell me: you are lucky — your enterprise really takes care of people. If only it were like that everywhere.”

Yurii Ivanovych began his career back in 1966 in the construction brigade of the then Kivertsi forestry. Later, he became head of the production unit of the lower yard and chaired the trade union. He recalls that forestry enterprises were always close to the people — looking for ways to help when salaries were delayed for months.

“Food, clothes, household goods — we tried to find and provide everything through the trade union so that workers wouldn’t leave their jobs,” he remembers.

Yurii Ivanovych also has a strong family. His son Andrii, a lecturer at Lviv Polytechnic, is now serving in the military. His daughter Nataliia lives in Kyiv and is raising two sons.

Today, being retired, Yurii Ivanovych still feels the same support from the enterprise. In his Kivertsi district forestry alone, 180 retirees and another 20 current and former mobilized workers have already received assistance for purchasing firewood, totaling 1.5 million UAH — the highest figure in Volyn. At least 70 more applications are expected by the end of the year. All this is provided for in the Collective Agreement, along with other types of individual assistance.

“Even now, when I meet friends or neighbors, they all say: you are lucky, because your enterprise continues to help. When trouble comes, there’s someone to turn to. If it were like this everywhere, such a small pension wouldn’t feel so unbearable,” he shares.

Background: In Volyn and Rivne regions, families of employees and former employees of SFE Forests of Ukraine have already received a total of 13.53 million UAH in compensation for firewood. This support has been granted to 1,804 families, with each receiving 7,500 UAH once a year.