The celebration began with a private ceremony of laying flowers in front of the monument and commemorative plaques by the plant management building, attended by selected members of the Company’s governing bodies, employees and the local community. The highlight of the event is the Employee Festival Gala, where accolades are presented to employees of outstanding merit and those with the longest service. The culminating point is invariably a mass held at the Tarnów Mościce church.

“Grupa Azoty is a European leader in the production of fertilizers and chemicals, consistently putting in place innovative solutions that change the face of the chemical industry both in Poland and Europe. The Group would not have been able to achieve the strong international position it enjoys today without the many generations of Grupa Azoty S.A. employees working at its plant in Tarnów. The strength of Grupa Azoty is unique in that it consists of the potential of four major Polish chemical companies, based in Tarnów, Puławy, Police and Kędzierzyn, as well as many other operations, including foreign ones, that today make up a powerful Group. It is the employees who have always been and will remain the key strength and asset of Grupa Azoty. Every day, their commitment contributes to building the value of the Group and the entire Polish economy. One token of appreciation for their dedication and daily work is the Employee Festival Gala, at which they receive ministerial decorations, Company badges for distinguished service and jubilee awards for 50, 45 and 40 years of service,” says Tomasz Hinc, President of the Management Board of Grupa Azoty S.A.

“1927 was an important date for what in the future would become Grupa Azoty, marking the decision to build a factory with a clearly stated purpose. The agricultural part of Lesser Poland needed an impulse and support to make farming more profitable. The plan was also for local farmers to find jobs at the newly established factory. The planned purpose was achieved, as generations have since been drawn to work at the nitrogen plant in Tarnów. Working here became a point of honour for many residents of the city and surrounding areas. The place has been constantly evolving, delivering new innovative solutions, also for domestic agriculture. Let me extend my best wishes to all Grupa Azoty employees and congratulate them on the success that would not be possible without them,” says Ryszard Pagacz, Deputy Governor of the Province of Kraków.

Because the 2020 Employee Festival Gala had to be cancelled due to the pandemic, a record number of 260 persons were honoured this year. 45 of them received ministerial decorations, and 35 employees were presented with ‘Outstanding Service to Grupa Azoty S.A.’ badges. 180 of those awarded boasted the longest service at the Company. Out of them, 6 people were celebrating their fiftieth anniversary of work, 59 completed forty-five years of service, while 117 worked at Grupa Azoty S.A. for four decades.

An additional element of this year’s event was a special screening of ‘Wyszyński – Revenge or Forgiveness’, the official production showing Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński’s beatification ceremony. Grupa Azoty was a corporate patron of the film.

The Grupa Azoty S.A. Employee Festival has been celebrated since 1990.