During the 112th session of the International Labour Conference (ILC) of the ILO in Geneva, the delegation of the Federation of Trade Unions of the Republic of Kazakhstan, led by Chairman Satybaldy Dauletalin, is actively participating in the ILC plenary sessions and committees.
On June 5, the central event of the day was the Conference’s plenary session, during which the report by ILO Director-General Gilbert Houngbo, “Towards a Renewed Social Contract,” was discussed.
The report consistently emphasizes the necessity of ensuring social justice, including decent work for all workers and universal access to social protection systems.
Gilbert Houngbo reminded that ILO forecasts indicate that the global unemployment rate will be 4.9 percent in both 2024 and 2025, which represents a modest decrease from the 5 percent recorded in 2023. However, he warned that crises could threaten these positive achievements.
Presenting his report, the ILO Director-General stated that the document does not impose biased ideas but aims to stimulate productive and fruitful negotiations to make social justice the foundation of lasting peace, shared prosperity, and equal opportunities.
During the session, Satybaldy Dauletalin expressed support for the initiatives highlighted in the ILO Director-General’s report on behalf of the Federation of Trade Unions of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
According to him, the proposals contained in the report provide a solid foundation for decisive action on promoting social justice, preventing discrimination, fair income redistribution, and environmental stewardship, among other issues.
“As noted in the report, the pursuit of social justice extends beyond the labor sphere. We support the report’s central idea that achieving social justice requires developing a human-centered social contract and ensuring conditions for decent work, which in turn will contribute to steady economic growth and sustainable development of socio-economic systems at regional and global levels,” emphasized Satybaldy Dauletalin.
He pointed out that the ILO’s mandate to promote decent work and social justice through the establishment and advancement of international labor standards represents a tripartite expression of the social contract at the international level.
In addition to the principles of social justice, Chairman of the Federation of Trade Unions of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Satybaldy Dauletalin, highlighted four key aspects of decent work: promoting full and productive employment, social protection, social dialogue and tripartism, and fundamental principles and rights at work.
“Effective social dialogue and tripartism are both means and ends in the creation and renewal of social contracts. In the face of new challenges, social partnership, as the foundation of the social contract, ensures the achievement of target benchmarks in the socio-labor sphere at national and regional levels. Social dialogue should become a mandatory global mechanism, including collective bargaining at all levels and sectors, including global supply chains, digital manufacturing, the platform economy, and remote work conditions. Ensuring universal labor protection through the establishment of adequate wages, improved working conditions, and the achievement of productive and freely chosen employment must be a decisive contribution for all,” said the FTURK Chairman.
Expressing support for the ILO’s call for the establishment of a universal labor guarantee, Satybaldy Dauletalin confirmed the Federation of Trade Unions’ intention to continue working jointly with the ILO Workers’ Bureau to promote international standards and develop a new national Decent Work Program in the Republic of Kazakhstan.
“The Federation of Trade Unions of Kazakhstan always advocates for constructive dialogue with social partners to defend the rights and interests of the workforce, ensure social justice, and promote the principles of decent work,” added Satybaldy Dauletalin.
During the Conference, the Kazakh delegation of the Federation of Trade Unions held a series of important meetings with representatives of international organizations and national trade union centers.
At a meeting involving leaders of the National Trade Union Centers of the Council of Trade Unions of Central Asian countries with ACTRAV/ILO Director Maria Helena André and Head of the Central Asia and Eastern Europe Sector Sergejus Glovackas, the agenda items of the ILO session and the activities of the CTUCA in promoting international labor standards in the Central Asian region were discussed.
Speaking about the work conducted by national trade union centers within the framework of the Council, FTURK Chairman Satybaldy Dauletalin reminded the attendees of the agenda of the fifth meeting of the Council of Trade Unions of Central Asian countries, where steps to promote decent work in transnational corporations and engage TNC employers in social partnership were discussed.
Maria Helena André highly appreciated the readiness of the CTUCA national trade union centers for open dialogue and assured her commitment to further cooperation in improving labor standards.
It is worth noting that the first negotiations of this format between members of the Council of Trade Unions of Central Asian countries and the ACTRAV/ILO Workers’ Bureau took place in June last year during the 111th ILC session in Geneva.
On the same day, a meeting took place between the delegation of the Federation of Trade Unions of the Republic of Kazakhstan and other CTUCA members with ILO Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia Beate Andrees and Director of the ILO Moscow Office for Eastern Europe and Central Asia Mikhail Pushkin.
The participants discussed the ILO’s activities in the countries of Europe and Central Asia, as well as measures for the implementation and realization of country programs for decent work.
In this context, international experts welcomed the decisions of all sides of Kazakhstan’s social partnership to sign the Roadmap for the Promotion of Decent Work with the International Labour Organization, which will take place on the sidelines of the Conference.
Following the meetings, the parties outlined further cooperation plans and emphasized the importance of international dialogue in the creation of decent, fair, and safe working conditions for all workers.
Media Center of the Federation of Trade Unions