OPERATIONS OF THE MINING AND METALLURGICAL COMPANY “TREPCA” 1927-1956
OPERATIONS OF THE MINING AND METALLURGICAL COMPANY “TREPCA” 1927-1956

Summary/Abstract: Background and purpose: The mining and metallurgical company “Trepca” was one of the largest producers of lead and zinc in Europe during the middle of the 20th century. That is exactly why it significantly contributed to the then exports and profit of Yugoslavia. Ideas for founding mines, exploitation and processing of ore into metals slowly began to be realized in the years after World War I; in the late 1920s the company began operations, and during World War II, the mine and bullet processing were carried out under German occupation. The biggest increase in production happened after World War II, when the company was nationalized. Methodology: This paper is a contribution to the knowledge about the business of the mining and metallurgical plant “Trepca” until 1956. The paper seeks, primarily on the basis of primary archival sources, then on the basis of the press and relevant literature, to contribute to the knowledge regading the company’s operations.. The paper also brings research knowledge about working conditions, workers ‘rights, the activities of the workers’ council, the problems of lack of qualified workers and engineers. The paper also talks about the simultaneous phenomenon of redundancies of unskilled employees, which was one of the biggest problems in business for the company’s management during the 1950s. Conclusion: In the first years after the Second World War, the biggest problems in the production and business of “Trepca” were caused by insufficient and poor infrastructure. Working conditions in the first post-war years in the Trepca mines were extremely poor. Until 1951, a huge amount of work was done manually. There were not enough tools, machines, excavators, drills. Also a big problem was the lack of spare parts for machines and tools. Initially, the production was mostly based on numerous workers. A large number of working hours of numerous workers tried to compensate for the lack of tools and mechanization. Over time and thanks to the increase in production, the need for skilled workers and engineers grew. On the other hand, there was the problem of overstaffing in jobs that did not require trained staff at the time. Thanks, above all, to the demand on the world market and the competitive price of its products, “Trepca” became one of the most important exporters in Yugoslavia by the mid-fifties of the twentieth century.

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