A mixture of feelings of pride, joy and nostalgia was experienced this Friday morning at the José Martí Steel Company, known as Antillana de Acero, during the commemorative event of the first Cuban steel casting, which took place in this industry ago 60 years.
The event was chaired by: Daimaris Muñoz Navarro, Secretary General of the Provincial Union of workers in the industry; Tamara Garrido, First Secretary of the Cotorro PCC; Teresa Beltrán, President of the Municipal Assembly of People's Power; Carlos Alejandro Estrada Fong, First Vice President of GESIME; and Reinier Guillén Otero, General Director of Antillana de Acero.
From the hand of these personalities and representatives of the political and mass organizations of the company, the commemorative diploma was awarded to the workers who have dedicated between 20 and 50 years of uninterrupted work in the entity.
Those who arrive at 50 or more years in this company received a special tribute, they are its founders and the protagonists of that historic casting; reason why in the act they were deserving of the distinctive insignia of the Antillana de Acero.
On behalf of the workers honored, Luis Sol Salinas, ratified the commitment of the Antillean people with the economic and social policy of the Revolution and with the fulfillment of the productive plans, for which they will continue giving their best effort and working with a sense of belonging. and the noble spirit that characterizes them, he affirmed.
The framework of this event was opportune for the Company's Management to receive the Certification of the Quality Management System and a Special Recognition from the Business Group of the Mechanical Side Industry (GESIME); Both delivered by the First Vice President of the business group.
Reinier Guillén Otero, General Director of Antillana de Acero, when making the conclusions of the act, recalled the legacy of the historical leader of the Cuban Revolution, Commander in Chief Fidel Castro Ruz, in his constant concern for the development of this center and its workers, to whom he always paid special attention. He also pointed out that, throughout these 60 years, the company has gone through various investment processes, until reaching the largest process it is currently undergoing and which will allow it to reach the production levels necessary for the economic development of the country , following the aspirations of the Commander in Chief and paying a worthy tribute to the effort of the workers who 60 years ago launched the distinguished company of Cuban industry.
Music and poetry also took place at the event, the worker Francisco Bendal, shared with those present a poem by him entitled: Long live the first batch, and the guitarist Liban Álvaro gave the musical pieces: Homage to José Martí and Revolution.

How do you remember the first casting of Cuban steel?
It was on May 4, 1959, after two years of construction and assembly of the first full cycle steel metallurgy factory in Cuba, when the order to "Open the spout" was given for the first time and the first casting was made. Cuban steel.
One of the founders of the company, a young worker of 18 years at the time and today, a master laminator, Antonio Sierra Fábrega, commented in an interview to the GESIME Communication Group that: "a lot of work was spent to get to the laundry, because He milked the oven, the first batch was taken out, but after being emptied into the cupola, they had to put iron rods with oxygen to destroy the runner so that the liquid steel fell down, then that took time, but it was worth it. "
He commented that, despite 12 hours of intense work, to get to the laundry, that event was lived with a lot of curiosity and emotion by the workers and the inhabitants of Cotorro, being then a relevant date for the territory.
This fact has great significance for the country's industrial heritage, as it marked the beginning of the livelihood and lives of hundreds of families who, since then, have had one or several generations working in the heat of steel.