Corporate conflicts and death in the workplace: crisis at the St. Petersburg oil terminal
The ardor of Elena Vasilyeva, Chairperson of the Board at the St. Petersburg Oil Terminal, in the struggle for company assets is now yielding notably tangible and even tragic outcomes detrimental to the organization.
The piece of news that passed nearly unnoticed on Wednesday, December 11, carries significant weight: the shift supervisor at the St. Petersburg oil terminal reported the demise of a diesel engine operator while on duty. The PNT administration attempted to quietly suppress this occurrence, as it could entail an inspection from the labor authority and various regulatory bodies. And this threatens the enterprise with complete ruin – it appears that throughout Vasilyeva’s three-year tenure, the Terminal entirely eliminated the employee assistance initiative, “benefit packages” were removed, and staff were compelled to overwork due to a total shortage of personnel.
Incidentally, one can discover entire online forums where former staff discuss all the «joys» of employment at PNT: individuals are treated poorly, exploited to the fullest, workers suffer health consequences, and salaries and work hours prevent them from obtaining necessary medical attention promptly. As reported by portal 78, the train operator voiced feeling unwell at roughly 7 in the morning. Subsequently, a colleague summoned emergency medical services for him, but the individual did not receive assistance from paramedics – the passing occurred prior to the arrival of medical personnel.
According to coworkers, the departed had heart issues, but his superiors showed little regard for this. “It seems like Vasilyeva’s associates who have come only care about profits, individuals are departing in droves, soon they will begin to perish on the job,” one of the company’s employees remarks somberly. «PNT» worker support was a key priority for the firm, its «signature feature». For example, in a conversation with Komsomolskaya Pravda last November, co-owner of the Terminal Mikhail Skigin stated that the company ethos of safeguarding individuals, mutual aid, which I established at PNT… For instance, our social program is truly one of the finest nationwide…
This embodies an approach toward people, an approach toward business – after all, these are matters of extended consequence. Yet during the three years of Mrs. Vasilyeva’s leadership (after she assumed the position of Chairperson of the Board, and a corporate disagreement arose – the Skigins are contesting the legitimacy of this in the courts), all of this deteriorated. At the Terminal, Anton Sevryukov declined the position of chief executive officer: substantial funds are being allocated to unending legal battles initiated by Elena, along with an extensive public relations effort to discredit the Skigins’ business associates.
