"I FULFILLED MYSELF PROFESSIONALLY AT THE RAILWAYS"
Interview with Ion Grecu, head of the Patrimony Records Service at the Constanta regional railway company
Railway Journal: You have stepped into the last step of your activity at the railways, a moment honoured by the railways’ leadership for every employee. With the kindness specific to the railwayman, please tell us about your 34 years of activity.
Ion Grecu: Of these 34 years of work, only 21 have been spent on the railway. I arrived the Constanta regional railway company after a transfer in 1978. I was hired to have the same position I had before the transfer, chief accountant. And 21 years have passed since I have been leading economic activity at the company. I can say professionally I have fulfilled myself, under all aspects.
In the year of my arrival, the regional company was operating as a zero-degree central unit. I was therefore enabled to apply the entire volume of knowledge I had accumulated. Organisationally speaking, the company is working in four counties. Economic-financial problems were very diverse, and encompassed all fields of activity. I had to apply all financial and accounting rules that governed the economic sector. Besides managing the economic activity, I had to work on organisation. There have been a lot of problems, but we defeated them every time.
R.J.: The Constanta regional company is specific because of its seaport activities. What were your general preoccupations with this situation before the establishment of the Constanta Port Railways Department?
I.G.: Although this department was founded shortly after the establishment of the regional company, difficulties that emerged in port activity reflected in the company as a whole. For instance, the regional company was at that time responsible with receiving goods and preparing them for export. To solve this situation, the company had to include into the investments plan a number of new waiting lines, and the building of a new warehouse for freight trains. Also for the port activity, a number of investments were made, of which the most important for the port’s economic activity was the ferry boat.
R.J.: How did you arrive to work at the Patrimony Division and what were your assignments?
I.G.: In 1990, I was hired as an 2nd degree economist at the Commercial Division, then I worked at the Legal Service, and since 1995 I have been working at the Patrimony Division, as service head, in the Patrimony Record Service. The goal of this department is to make use of all the valuables the company has. These include land and space rentals that can bring us revenue.
R.J.: The Railways are shaping in every employee a preoccupation for perfection in their job. Everyone analyses how much he or she had to work to achieve a given result. How many sacrifices did the job require in your case?
I.G.: From my point of view, I cannot talk about sacrifices because at the railway I fulfilled myself professionally. Which means that I did my job with great satisfaction. The Railways are a large unit that has allowed me to cope with all economic-financial problems and I can say this is how I made my professional dreams come true.
Now, on the brink of retirement, I can say that I would not have been able to unfold all of my knowledge in any other field of activity.
Oana Bran
Dan Dragos Aldea
