Interview 2
Interviewee talks about where he was born, his technical education in Sopot and Plovdiv, and his early work at VMZ Sopot. He talks about becoming a manager and work brigade leader. He discusses the structure of organization, National Economic Alliance (NEO), its relocation from Sofia to Sopot, and his promotion to the position of explosives specialists after its relocation. He talks about the process by which he was chosen for his new post, and describes the everyday tasks of his job. He mentions the difficulty of managing discrepancies between the necessary elements for production, such as people, materials, and machines. He talks about the internal organizational structure of VMZ -Sopot and the functions of individual factories within it. He discusses the process of entering through the gates of VMZ, the credentials needed for entrance, and the general layout of the streets and courtyards inside. He discusses the participation of workers on agricultural brigades, the distribution of monetary awards for meeting production quotas, the funding of banquets and excursions, and the publication of the factory newspaper, Zavodska Borba. He remembers the explosion incident in 1978 and explains the factors that caused it. He describes the communist transition post-September 9, 1944 in Bulgaria, the establishment of agricultural cooperatives, and the economic shift from agriculture to heavy industry after that time. He also reflects on land ownership between the post-1944 and post-1989 political transitions, the changes in VMZ post-1990, and the politicization of VMZ ownership. He comments on the state of the Bulgarian youth, the education system, and economic inequality.