On October 8, 2021, a Forum of primary trade union organizations was held dedicated to the celebration of the 30th anniversary of Independence of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Day of Trade Unions of Kazakhstan.
The forum was attended by professional leaders of primary trade union organizations, regional Trade union centers and Industry trade unions of the country, as well as social partners and deputies of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
The current forum, held within the framework of the Year of the Primary Trade Union Organization, is of particular importance for the trade union movement of the country.
The Chairman of the Federation of Trade Unions of the Republic of Kazakhstan Satybaldy Dauletalin opened the work of the forum with a congratulatory speech.
“The Federation of Trade Unions, promoting the principles of social justice, representing the interests of workers and protecting their legitimate rights, has contributed to the development of our country, being the most massive public organization uniting in its ranks about 2 million workers from more than 16 thousand primary trade union organizations. The Federation of Trade Unions actively participated and will participate in the formation of a new Kazakhstan,” the Chairman of the Federation of Trade Unions of the Republic of Kazakhstan said.
Along with this, special emphasis is placed on summing up the results of the “Year of the primary organization of the trade union”.
Satybaldy Dauletalin focused on measures to support primary schools and build a system of “feedback” with labor collectives by the Federation of Trade Unions.
“In 2021, the republican campaign “How do you live, primary?” was launched, which gave our ordinary trade union members the opportunity to directly discuss and raise issues with the leadership of the Federation of Trade Unions, deputies of the Majilis of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan, representatives of state bodies and employers. In total, within the framework of this action, 362 primary trade union organizations were visited online, more than 400 issues requiring solutions were voiced by trade union members,” the Head of the FTURK said.
Noting the special importance of creating a popular image of an ordinary worker, the Chairman of the FTURK listed such information campaigns as “Protection of rights begins with the primary”, “30 years of my primary”, “Faces of Labor”.
“Today at the Forum we need to sum up the results of the Year of the primary trade union organization and formulate the role and place of primary workers in the social and labor process,” Satybaldy Dauletalin said.
The head of the FTURK identified nine priority tasks to strengthen the activities of the primary trade union link.
First of all, he called on professional leaders to conduct extensive explanatory work in labor collectives.
“The main mission of trade unions is to change people’s minds so that they understand that their rights need to be protected. This is the path that all democratic States have taken. But this is a long way,” stressed Satybaldy Dauletalin.
The second priority is the growth of professional self-awareness of trade unions and the promotion of legal education in the trade union ranks.
“As long as there is at least a drop of slavish psychology towards the employer in trade union organizations as social communities, we should not expect an increase in confidence in trade union bodies on the part of employees and trade Union members,” the Chairman of the Federation of Trade Unions of the Republic of Kazakhstan said.
He also stressed the need to develop trade union practice of self-realization and promote the development of self-defense skills of Trade Union members.
“There is no need to wait for someone to come and solve problems. It is necessary to take the initiative, whether in resolving a labor conflict, in solving some problem. Moreover, if an employee refuses to defend his rights, we must assume that he undermines the struggle for the rights of all workers. The fight against such a phenomenon is a struggle for the existence of a trade union movement. This is a fight against social dependency,” stressed Satybaldy Dauletalin.
An important item on the trade union agenda is the continuation of systematic training of the professional asset.
“In 2020, the Federation of Trade Unions and its member organizations conducted more than 100 online trainings among more than 15 thousand trade union members. And since the beginning of this year, 9,150 trade union leaders have held 243 training seminars. We must help people navigate the new market conditions and provide their members with the opportunity to study so that they are ready to protect their interests,” the Chairman of the FTURK said.
The issue of prevention and resolution of labor conflicts was touched upon separately.
“This year, 68 labor conflicts were recorded in the country, of which only 32 enterprises have trade union organizations. Nevertheless, the Federation of Trade Unions and its member organizations took part in the negotiation processes of all these labor conflicts, and 67 of them were resolved positively in 67 cases. The best result is the difficult negotiation work of trade union leaders with employers, invisible to most, giving not temporary, but permanent benefits and improving working conditions. And here there are very tough clashes in the negotiation platforms. It’s just that they are most often resolved in a timely and satisfactory manner for the parties. There is no sensationalism, it seems such a boring development of events, but this is the price of relative stability. The ability of trade unions to gradually solve social problems and extinguish unnecessary aggravations is extremely important for the country,” said Satybaldy Dauletalin.
At the same time, he emphasized the importance of using mediation procedures in the negotiation process.
“Since March 2018, more than 18 thousand consultations have been held in the “Tatulasu Ortalygy” reconciliation centers, more than 6 thousand appeals of workers on labor and social issues have been considered, of which 4,635 labor disputes have been resolved positively,” Satybaldy Dauletalin said.
Separate instructions have been given in the field of occupational safety.
The Chairman of the Federation of Trade Unions called for intensifying work on the creation of Production Councils, organizing the work of technical inspectors, as well as joining efforts with the state to protect the interests of workers.
“Today, more than 17 thousand technical inspectors carry out daily public monitoring of compliance with labor protection legislation. There are more than 11 thousand Production Councils in enterprises and organizations, 86% of them were created on your initiative. In 2020 alone, they conducted 64,039 inspections, and revealed 118,912 violations of labor legislation, of which 112,180 were eliminated by employers. This is only a small part of the work carried out by primary schools, and there are still a lot of workers’ issues that need to be addressed,” Satybaldy Dauletalin said.
The Head of the FTURK identified the development of social partnership as an important direction of trade union work.
“Currently, FTURK member organizations have concluded and are operating 25 sectoral and 17 regional agreements. In March of this year, a General Agreement for 2021-2023 was signed between the Government, republican associations of employers and republican associations of trade unions. Within the framework of the General Agreement, the initiatives of trade unions on the ratification of 20 ILO Conventions and the development by social partners of a Roadmap for the implementation of the Concept of Decent Work were supported,” the Chairman of the Federation of Trade Unions stressed.
He stressed that the trade unions, promoting the issues of wage increases, enthusiastically accepted the initiatives of the President of the country, voiced in the Address to the people of Kazakhstan.
“The increase in the minimum wage from 42,500 to 60,000 tenge from January 1, 2022 will affect more than a million people working in all industries. The decisions of the Head of State concerning the stimulation of employers who increase the salaries of employees, and on a phased annual increase in wages from 2022 for public sector employees, will give a positive impetus to increasing the social responsibility of the employer to its employees, and the welfare of more than 600 thousand low-paid civil servants. Of course, these are just the first steps. Together with you, we still have a lot to do to improve people’s lives,” the Head of the FTURK stressed.
The importance of developing and improving the quality of collective-contractual regulation of labor relations was also noted.
“As of today, the Federation’s trade union organizations have concluded more than 16 thousand collective agreements, which apply to 1.5 million employees. The coverage of collective-contractual regulation in enterprises with trade unions is more than 95 percent. This is the result of your work, perseverance and professionalism shown by you during negotiations with the employer,” the Chairman of the FTURK believes.
At the same time, he voiced the specific position of the trade unions on the dissemination of the provisions of the collective agreement.
“We supрort the position of the primary trade union organizations, and we believe that the collective agreement should apply only to trade union members. The use by non-union members of the results of trade union activity – all this should be perceived and promoted as a method of exploitation by this part of the workers of the activity of a caring part of the workers,” said Satybaldy Dauletalin.
In addition, he instructed to pay special attention to work with young people, including increasing the importance of trade unions for the younger generation, providing conditions for their self-realization.
“Today, the number of young people in the Federation of Trade Unions under the age of 35 is 448,516 people, or 27% of the total number of trade union members. In February of this year, our project “Otyz Enbek Elshisi” was launched to support talented trade union youth. Within the framework of the project, 30 labor ambassadors were selected, who should become a center of attraction for other peers, an example of active participation in the life of the country. Working youth is the future of the country, and this future should be built today,” the Chairman of the FTURK said.
In conclusion, Satybaldy Dauletalin stressed the need for active campaigns in defense of the right to self-organization and unionization.
“In order for a small trade union to become a full-fledged social entity in the system of labor relations, three conditions are necessary: First, it must unite professionals, highly qualified specialists, without whom it is difficult for an enterprise to do. Secondly, these people should be aware of the value of their professionalism and the power of solidarity. Thirdly, they must have a leader who is ready to spend time on common affairs, be constantly “in the sights” of the authorities, thoroughly observe labor discipline, know the laws, rules and internal regulations,” the Head of the FTURK noted.
Minister of Labor and Social Protection of the Population of the Republic of Kazakhstan Serik Shapkenov addressed the forum participants with a video greeting.
He noted the important role of the Federation of Trade Unions in the development of social partnership.
“Over the years of its activity, the Federation of Trade Unions has made a significant contribution to the socio-economic development of the country and has shown itself as a reliable social partner. A striking example of this is the work on a new General Agreement for 2021-2023. For the first time in its history, the Federation of Trade Unions gathered on its site all republican associations of trade unions that worked together on the provisions of the main document of social partnership, which was signed in March this year,” the minister stressed.
The President of the National Confederation of Employers of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kadyr Baykenov also expressed his congratulations to the trade union community.
Chairman of the Branch Trade Union of Education and Science Workers Aigul Mukasheva in her speech noted the importance of effective protection of workers’ rights.
“The republican competition showed that the work of primary trade union organizations has reached a new level, and also provided an opportunity to pay attention to some shortcomings in the work of trade unions and respond promptly to them,” Aigul Mukasheva stressed.
Chairman of the trade union organization of the branch of JSC “National Company “Kazakhstan Temir Zholy” “Sorokovinskaya mechanized distance of the way” Orazaly Yerubayev in his speech expressed support for the initiatives of the Federation of Trade Unions.
“Our trade union supports the position of the FTURK on the consistent increase of the minimum wage to the level corresponding to international wage standards. As the Chairman of the FTURK noted, “If a person works, he should not be poor.” On behalf of our primary trade union organization, I propose to continue in the following years the initiatives of the FTURK to establish direct communication with primary workers within the framework of the Campaign “How do you live, primary?” and an educational online marathon to improve the knowledge of labor and trade union legislation among ordinary members of the trade union. This is of great importance for the workers of our industry,” said Orazaly Yerubayev.
According to him, the results of the Republican contest showed that the work of primary trade unions has reached a new level and allowed to solve many topical issues promptly.
In turn, the chairman of the primary trade union organization of the Management of Aktobemunaiservice branch of JSC “CNPC-Aktobemunaigas Almat Tuksubayev noted that the main task of trade unions is to protect the labor rights of employees, ensuring maximum social guarantees for them.
“A striking result of successful joint work is a Collective agreement. The current collective agreement of JSC “CNPC-Aktobemunaygas” has been repeatedly recognized as the best in the region. The proof of this is the numerous diplomas of the Trade Union Center of the Aktobe region and the Federation of Trade Unions of the Republic of Kazakhstan. In accordance with clause 1.6 of the Collective Agreement, the terms of the agreement apply only to members of the trade union. This item is a great achievement of the trade union and a strong motivation for membership in the trade union,” Almat Tuksubayev said.
Chairman of the Trade Union Center of Almaty region Asset Kydyrmanov in his speech touched upon the issue of inadequate representation of the third party of the social partnership in the region.
“Despite the great work done, there are still unresolved issues related to the trilateral agreement. I consider it necessary to create representative offices of the National Confederation of Employers (Entrepreneurs) of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Because the effective and attractive functioning of the Trilateral Agreement on the ground depends on each side,” Asset Kydyrmanov stressed.
Andrey Pan, Chairman of the SENIM trade union committee at the Makazhanov Multidisciplinary Hospital, spoke about measures to support workers at the forum.
“One of the important measures of the trade union committee is the participation of employees in solving the housing issue. In 2021, a memorandum was signed between the administration of the clinic, PTUO “SENIM” and the developer, under which employees were able to purchase housing at a discounted price of no more than 200,000 tenge per 1 sq.m.. This made it possible to provide housing at the initial stage for 15 families of medical workers with their own housing,” Andrei Pan said.
Within the framework of the event, an award ceremony was held for the winners of the competition for the title of “The best primary trade union organization of 2021”. The winners of the republican competition were announced by the primary trade union organizations: “Sorokovinskaya mechanized distance of the way”, the management of “Aktobemunayservice”, the Multidisciplinary Hospital named after Professor H.Zh. Makazhanov of the Karaganda region, School №198 named after Zhanabil Nurmanov of the Kyzylorda region, Merken Cheese Factory, LLP “Tengizchevroil”, LLP “RDI Astanagenplan”, LLP “Ekibastuz GRES-1 named after B.Nurzhanov”, the local trade union of workers postal communications of Petropavlovsk, Zhezkazgantsvetmet, “KAP Technology” LLP, Atyrau oil Refinery, Zyryanovsky Forestry, the Capital Circus, “Aluminum of Kazakhstan” LLP, Fedorovsky Center for Special Social Services of Kostanay region, Karaganda branch of “Kamkor Locomotive” LLP, Almaty postal communications – TLC South, City Polyclinic of Kokshetau, RSI44859 of Arys, LLP “Kurylysmet”.
Within the framework of the forum, the results of the first republican media contest “Enbek adamyn ulyktau” were also summed up.
In the nomination “The Best trade union press service” the victory was won by the press service of the Trade Union Center of Pavlodar region.
The newspaper “Korgau protection” of the coal miners’ union “Korgau” was recognized as the best trade union information resource.
The Atyrau regional newspaper “Ustazdyk enbek” became the winner in the nomination “The Best information partner”.
The correspondent of the North Kazakhstan regional branch of JSC RTVRC “Kazakhstan” Natalia Aitova was recognized as the best journalist.
Aknur Serikbayeva, a journalist of the newspaper “Qazaqstan Kasipodagy”, won the nomination “Best Photo Lens”.
In the nomination “The best information partner among the republican media”, the winner was INA “KazAkparat”.
The contribution of trade union activists to the development of the trade union movement was marked by new trade union awards – medals and Certificates of Honor of the Federation of Trade Unions of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
The winners of the medal of the FTURK “Kazakhstan kasipodaktar kozgalysyna sinirgen enbegi ushin” were:
Chairman of the branch trade union of employees of state, banking institutions and public services “Kyzmet” Mirbolat Zhakypov, deputy chairman of the primary trade union organization of the Aktobe plant of chrome compounds Alexey Kosyak, chairman of the branch of the Local Trade Union of Education and Science workers of Zhambyl region “Zhualynsky district Committee” Gulnur Kadyrbek, chairman of the local trade union of workers of LLP “Burgylau” Mangistau region Saduakas Bekgalyev.
The medal of the FTURK “Kasipodaktagi belsendi zhumysy usin” was awarded:
Chairman of the Local Trade Union “Oil Refiner” Pavlodar region Tatiana Vaskina, Chairman of the Trade Union Center of Almaty region Asset Kydyrmanov.
Medals of the FTURK “Kasipodak Ardageri” were awarded:
Chairman of the trade union of the branch “Atbasar Electric Locomotive Plant” LLP “Kamkor Locomotive” Rayhan Zhakenov, Chairman of the Turkestan regional branch of the Branch Trade Union of Workers of Culture, sports, tourism and Information” Bastarbek Primbetov.
The medal of the FTURK “Enbek Ozaty” was awarded:
Bibigul Bemagambetova, Chairman of the primary trade union organization of the NSC of Surgery named after A.N. Syzganov, Almaty, Anastasia Khodakova, Chairman of the primary trade union organization of “Shulbinskaya HPP” LLP, East Kazakhstan Region, and Shaki Abenov, a repairman at the Keregetas Limestone Mine of JSC PAP Aluminum of Kazakhstan.
Honorary diploma of the Federation of Trade Unions received:
Chairman of the Local Trade Union of JSC “MREK” of Mangystau region Bauyrzhan Alibekov, operator of the geotechnological landfill of “ORTALYK” LLP Talgat Tatibekov, head of the dermatovenereological center of the multidisciplinary hospital of Akmola region Natalia Sokolova, Chairman of the local trade union of “Astana-Zelenstroy” LLP Rustem Tokkhodzhaev, Deputy Chairman of the Akmola branch of the Branch Trade Union “YNTYMAQ” Bolat Zhupinov and assistant driver of the traction unit Bogatyrsky loading and transport Management of “Bogatyr Komir” LLP Oleg Taranov.
At the end of the solemn event, the forum participants adopted a resolution on further improving the activities of primary trade union organizations in protecting the rights and interests of employees of enterprises and organizations of the country.
“The Forum participants note that the main tasks of trade unions today are:
- Preservation and strengthening of trade union ranks in organizations
- Further development of social partnership at all levels
- Participation of trade unions in legislative and normative work
- Strengthening the unity and solidarity of trade unions
- Active participation of trade unions at all stages of protection of social and labor rights of employees
- International solidarity”, stated in the text of the Resolution.
Media Center of the Federation of Trade Unions of the Republic of Kazakhstan