The meeting dedicated to the collection of signatures to support the honourary title was held on Monday, April 5, 2021.
The new honourary title "City of Labour Valour" was approved on at the initiative of Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2020. The Russian Academy of Sciences has confirmed the grounds for awarding the city of Penza this title, so in 2021 the regional centre will apply for it.
Addressing the participants of the meeting, Acting Governor Oleg Melnichenko stressed that he fully supports the initiative.
"I believe that Penza deserves the honourary title of the Russian Federation "City of Labour Valour". During the Great Patriotic War, tens of thousands of people, including teenagers and women, worked at Penza factories sparing no effort," Oleg Melnichenko specified.
"Penza residents produced guns, shells, mines, bombs, the famous Katyusha, mortars, fuses and sights, anti-aircraft gun control devices. The Frunze plant alone produced more than one hundred and eleven million fuses for artillery and mortars which every sixth Soviet shell produced during the war was equipped with," he cited figures and facts.
In addition, the city enterprises sewed greatcoats and padded jackets, made cigarette and map paper, alcohol for medical institutions and skis for soldiers. Labour productivity during the war years increased by 2.5 times in Penza.
"During the most difficult wartime in Penza there was an atmosphere of labour heroism. By the fall of 1943, more than half of all employees were strike workers or Stakhanovites," the acting governor emphasised.
He also explained that according to federal Law No. 41 of March 1, 2020 "On the Honourary Title of the Russian Federation "City of Labour Valour"", awarding enterprises with state awards or presenting them with the Red Banners of the State Defense Committee; awarding employees of enterprises with state awards for labour merits and documented facts of labour heroism of the city residents in 1941-1945 are the grounds for awarding the honourary title to the city.
"About 13.5 thousand employees of Penza enterprises were awarded the medal "For Valiant Labour in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945". The Frunze plant and the Penza watch factory were awarded the Red Banner, the former was given the Order of Lenin, and the latter - the Order of the Patriotic War of the first degree. The city was awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labour in 1985 for success achieved by the workers in economic and cultural construction and for their contribution to winning the Victory in the Great Patriotic War," Oleg Melnichenko said.
"I would like to emphasise that the labour feat of the workers and engineers and their great contribution to the Great Victory laid the foundations for the development of the defense industry of the modern Penza. Our enterprises working for the military-industrial complex have established the production of electronic computers and communications equipment, as well as the production of equipment for space exploration. I would like to recall that the launcher of the Vostok rocket that took off on April 12, 1961 with Yuri Gagarin on board, was made in Penza," he added.
The acting Penza Oblast governor urged to publicise as much information as possible about the labour feat of Penza residents during the Great Patriotic War and to involve municipalities, mass media, educational and cultural institutions, public organisations, including youth and veterans' ones, to expand their work in social networks.
During the meeting, Honourary citizens of Penza – Anna Maslova, who has been twice awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labour, and Vladimir Kotov – made speeches.
The Penza Oblast Senator Maria Lvova-Belova confirmed that the project is supported and noted the importance of the campaign.
"We all need to understand that this is a personal story of every Penza resident. Listening to our dear veterans, I understand that their stories resonate in my heart," she said and concluded: "It is important for everyone to get involved in this work."
Electronic signature collection will be organised from 6 to 30 April. Penza residents will be able to support their city and vote for the assignment of the status of "City of Labour Valour" to Penza on the website https://penza-gtd.er.ru/ and in outlets where the signature collection is taking place.
