Today, under the leadership of Satibaldy Dauletalin, Chairman of the Federation of Trade Unions of the Republic of Kazakhstan (FTURK), a meeting of the FTURK Executive Committee was held.
The agenda included reports on the implementation of sectoral and regional agreements, analysis of the effectiveness of workplace health and safety committees, and prospects for the development of FTURK’s youth policy.
Gulayim Muratalieva, Deputy Chair of the Sectoral Union of Workers in the Chemical, Petrochemical, and Related Industries, shared the achievements of sectoral agreements in the oil and gas and chemical industries.
She highlighted the positive outcomes achieved through constructive dialogue with social partners:
“We successfully secured an annual increase in the minimum tariff for the first qualification grade—30% in the petrochemical industry (up to 1.30 MCI) and 21% in the chemical industry (up to 1.21 MCI). This result demonstrates our persistent efforts and signifies real income growth for workers,” she noted.
Additionally, she reported the introduction of minimum inter-grade coefficients, extra pay for hazardous work conditions, wage indexation aligned with annual inflation, and enhanced social benefits beyond labor legislation requirements.
“All these measures are reflected in collective agreements within industry enterprises. Currently, we are actively working on a new sectoral agreement for the chemical industry for 2025–2027,” she added.
Positive dynamics were also observed in the implementation of regional agreements.
According to Temirbek Kasymzhanov, Chair of the East Kazakhstan Region Trade Union Center, the economic impact of the regional agreement for 2024–2026 is evident:
“Within the framework of social partnership development, changes and additions were made to collective agreements at 809 out of 876 enterprises and institutions, accounting for 94%. Issues such as annual wage indexation for real-sector workers, health allowance payments of at least one month’s salary for unskilled labor in the budget sector, a 25% wage increase for public-sector workers in rural areas, and reimbursement for utility costs for rural residents (20% higher than the previous agreement) have been resolved,” said Kasymzhanov.
After listening to the speakers, Satibaldy Dauletalin emphasized the importance of continuous monitoring of the implementation of social partnership agreements at the sectoral and regional levels.
“Every sectoral commission must oversee the implementation of adopted agreements. Likewise, everything contained in sectoral agreements must be enshrined in collective agreements. The same applies to regional agreements. The well-being of every worker depends on skillfully conducting constructive dialogue with social partners,” said Dauletalin.
The committee also reviewed the performance of workplace safety and health committees, using examples from the mining and metallurgical trade union “QAZAQMETAL KÁSIPODAǴY” and the Kostanay Region Trade Union Center.
Rauzhan Daumova, Deputy Chair of “QAZAQMETAL KÁSIPODAǴY,” reported that 130 workplace safety committees are operating within member organizations, involving 2,173 technical labor inspectors.
Additionally, Daumova noted that collective agreements in several major enterprises include provisions for joint efforts by employers and trade union committees to ensure occupational safety standards.
According to “QAZAQMETAL KÁSIPODAǴY,” 131 workplace injuries have occurred in the industry since the beginning of the year, with 8 resulting in fatalities.
Irina Aronova, Chair of the Kostanay Region Trade Union Center, presented workplace injury statistics in her region and emphasized the need to strengthen preventive measures.
“Despite the efforts of 302 workplace safety committees and 513 technical inspectors, 65 workplace incidents were recorded during the reporting period, involving 78 injuries, including 12 fatalities,” said Aronova.
Summarizing the discussions, Satibaldy Dauletalin called for the widespread adoption of effective practices implemented in specific industries and regions.
“At enterprises where workplace accidents occur, our trade unions initiate the adoption of a Roadmap for Workplace Safety, and this should be a universal approach. Let me remind you that decisions made by workplace safety committees are mandatory for all social partners. The dynamics of workplace injuries largely depend on the activities of these committees, which should exist at every industrial enterprise. Therefore, we must work with each employer to establish such committees,” emphasized Dauletalin.
New initiatives related to the development of FTURK’s youth policy were introduced by Ayan Salimgereev, Chairman of the “Keleshek” Youth Council. He reported on the implementation of FTURK’s Youth Policy Program.
According to Salimgereev, one of the key events organized by the Youth Council was the International Youth Forum for Skilled Professions titled “The Evolution of Labor: Climate, Competencies, Code.” The forum brought together representatives of 28 professions from various sectors and regions of Kazakhstan, as well as young trade union leaders from Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. Held as part of the “KELESHEK CAMP” youth camp, the forum served as a platform for youth dialogue on the future of work and addressing challenges.
“This year, the Youth Council also hosted an online meeting with the Vice Minister of Education, legal workshops for students, sports and cultural events, and volunteer campaigns involving over 8,000 participants. Today, the ‘Keleshek’ Youth Council has become one of the largest youth organizations in Kazakhstan,” said Salimgereev.
Following the discussion on youth development, Satibaldy Dauletalin supported an initiative by Dinara Aitzhanova, Chair of the Pavlodar Region Trade Union Center, to establish representations of the “Keleshek” Youth Council at every enterprise.
“We need to more decisively form a youth talent pool for trade unions, starting from individual enterprises. Youth policy is one of the Federation’s top priorities. Youth committees must be established, especially at the sectoral level,” emphasized Dauletalin.
The FTURK Executive Committee adopted several important decisions aimed at further strengthening social partnerships, improving workplace safety, enhancing public oversight, and actively involving youth in trade union activities.
It was also decided to convene a meeting of the FTURK General Council on December 25 to review the Federation’s activities over the past year and outline objectives for the year ahead.
Media Center of the Federation of Trade Unions of Kazakhstan