During the days of the Almaty tragedy, the trade union organizations of the megalopolis supported citizens and military personnel providing protection of strategic facilities as best they could.
This was announced today by the chairman of the Trade Union Center of Almaty, Zauresh Umirbayeva, during a meeting of the Coordinating Council of Almaty trade Unions.
According to her, on January 5, at the time of the seizure of Almaty International Airport by terrorists, the chairman of the trade union organizations of the aviation security service, Alibek Kurmantai, assisted in the evacuation of air passengers and employees of the air company of the city.
As Alibek Kurmantai himself says, there was no time to think about fear at that moment, it was necessary to save people and bring them to a safe place.
“It was important to make quick decisions, act in an organized manner and not succumb to general panic. In total, we took out 3 – 4 buses with people. Women and children were taken out first of all,” said the chairman of the primary trade union organization.
Alibek became the chairman of the trade union committee at the age of 27 and since then, also without hesitation, defends the rights of 507 members of his primary.
During these difficult days for the whole of Kazakhstan, almost the trade union leaders of Almaty were at their workplaces and kept in touch with labor collectives.
For example, power engineers did not stop their work, realizing that light and heat in every house depends on their work.
“The city was continuously provided with light, heat and hot water. The local trade union, together with the management of AlES JSC, has taken measures to strengthen security measures before joining the protection of law enforcement forces and the CSTO military contingent,” said the chairman of the local trade union “Энергия” JSC of Almaty Electric Stations, Serik Tymbasbayev.
According to him, the local trade union “Энергия” in the period of January 5-7 organized hot meals for all employees at work and military personnel guarding facilities. Assistance in providing hot meals to soldiers was also provided by the Seriktes trade union.
The Almaty branch of the Branch Trade Union of Railway, Automobile, Air and Water Transport Workers organized meals for train dispatchers and employees of the Almaty-1 and Almaty-2 railway stations.
According to the chairman of the Professional Center of Almaty, Zauresh Umirbayeva, on January 12, 2022, she visited the infirmary of the military unit of the National Guard, where servicemen who were injured during the riots were treated. On behalf of the professional center, food products were handed over to medical workers and their patients.
“Today, trade union activists, together with collectives, participate in the restoration work of the city,” Zauresh Umirbayeva, Chairman of the Federation of Trade Unions of the Republic of Kazakhstan, informed.
Chairman of the Federation of Trade Unions of the Republic of Kazakhstan Satybaldy Dauletalin thanked the members of the Almaty trade unions for their involvement in the restoration work in Almaty and their participation in the fate of citizens.
“Almaty is a city whose well-being sometimes affects the well-being of the whole country. I am grateful to my colleagues for their selfless work and your solidarity with all Almaty residents. At their core, trade unions are always with the people. Your actions in those January days are a worthy example of trade union unity. Trade unions should also act together, not only in the days of tragedies. Our task is to protect the labor rights of millions of Kazakhstani workers every day,” said Satybaldy Dauletalin.
Media Center of the Federation of Trade Unions of the Republic of Kazakhstan