rewrite this title Meet the Sydney Trains worker who has probably never taken a sick day – but here’s why some Aussies are not impressed

The incredible story of an elderly grandmother who cleaned train stations for 50 years with no intention of retiring has angered some millennials who argued that “working until you drop” » should not be normalized.

Vesela Grujoska, 80, has spent the past five decades cleaning Sydney Central Station.

She “probably never took sick leave” and worked countless holidays, including all but three Christmases, over the years in her “dream job.”

Ms Grujoska came from humble beginnings and was born in Vapila, North Macedonia, before emigrating to Australia with her family in 1970, where she raised her two children alone.

She knew no English, but landed a job with NSW Rail three years later and has worked at Central Station ever since.

His story was shared on the SBS News Instagram page with many people impressed by his incredible work ethic for his age.

But some younger generations have taken the opportunity to denounce the idea that people should live to work.

Ms Grujoska came from humble beginnings and was born in Vapila, North Macedonia before emigrating to Australia with her family in 1970.

“But if you are sick, you can also take a sick day. I don’t like the idea of ​​becoming a hero to people who never take a day off,” one commented.

“Work isn’t everything in your life,” said another.

“Normalize work until you give up? No thanks,” added a third.

A fourth said: “It’s great, she’s happy, but I’m seeing more and more people of retirement age forced to stay or return to the workforce.

“I’ve also seen a lot of media trying to normalize this lately. I hope everyone has the chance to rest and enjoy their remaining years with dignity and comfort.

Despite the criticism, many Australians were quick to celebrate his work ethic.

“What a noble character,” said one of them.

Another added: “Bless her!” I also agree with his motto.

A third said: “I hope they gave him a pay rise too!

Others pointed out that some people have no choice but to work for most of their lives, while one 70-year-old said she was grateful to have a part-time job.

‘Fully agree. I’m 70 years old, I work 4 days a week and I love my job,” they said. When Ms Grujoska first moved to Australia, she started working in a factory for just $29 a day. week.

It wasn’t until a kind neighbor wrote on a piece of paper that Ms. Grujoska was looking for work, telling her to give it to the Rockdale station manager, Macedonian SBS reported.

NSW TrainLink recently hosted a special lunch to honor the grandmother’s hard work over the past 50 years.

When she arrived at Central Station, she had written “Central” on a piece of paper and had to match the shape of the letters to the signs to know where to go.

Ms Grujoska also played a role in alerting train drivers when passengers were safely boarded and disembarked. This role was later digitized and she returned to her job as a housekeeper.

“I might retire when I hit 100…but maybe not even then,” she told the publication.

While working at the station, Ms Grujoska experienced “a very difficult marriage and divorce”, leaving her alone to support her two young children.

She was able to continue her hard work thanks to her motto: “Work keeps you young and healthy.” Doing nothing would be a disaster.

Ms. Grujoska had to raise her two children alone after a difficult divorce

NSW TrainLink recently hosted a special lunch to honor the grandmother’s hard work over the past 50 years.

She also had her nickname “Vesa” written on the license plate of one of the station’s luggage racks.

“If you stay at home, all kinds of negative thoughts will fill your mind, make you depressed and start to deteriorate,” she said.

Her story of hard work comes just weeks after the boss of national recruitment agency U&U Recruitment Partners criticized the trend of Gen Z and millennials working “on Mondays at the bare minimum”.

Employees who practice the work-life trend strive to do the minimum amount of work on Monday – or complete only those tasks contractually required of them – to make their week easier.

Workers are catching up on daily tasks that need to be done, including laundry, walking the dog, preparing meals, running errands and even napping.

“Personally, I am against it. Employees are paid to do a job and work the hours they agree to,” Craig Sneesby told news.com.au.

“It creates space for workers to be lazy and generates a culture of entitlement. This kind of professional perk has really gone too far. It’s simply not sustainable.

Winning Appliances CEO John Winning, who is also a millennial, highlighted the generations’ work ethic in comments that went viral in 2019.

He said good millennial workers were “rare” and “expect more than they put in.”

“People expect more than they invest in,” the appliance retailer’s chief executive said in an interview with Nine newspaper.

“Some of the people who come in for interviews, their expectations of what they should be paid versus what they’re expected to work for are just crazy.

“You train them and by the time they finish the two-month training, they’re either looking for the next thing or asking for a promotion or more money.”

The 80-year-old woman is seen with her daughter. She says she has no plans to retire