A delegation from the Federation of Trade Unions of the Republic of Kazakhstan (FTURK), led by its Chairman Satylbaldy Dauletalin, arrived in East Kazakhstan Region for a working visit. Over two days, meetings are scheduled with social partners, labor collectives, and trade union activists in the region. The purpose of the visit is to assess the socio-labor situation, monitor the implementation of the “Year of Working Professions,” and strengthen cooperation with social partners to address pressing issues faced by workers in the region.
On Wednesday, April 23, a meeting of the Regional Tripartite Commission on Social Partnership and Regulation of Social and Labor Relations was held with the participation of the FTURK Chairman and chaired by Akim of East Kazakhstan Region, Nuryumbet Saktaganov.
Bakytbek Kizatov, Head of the Department of the State Labor Inspection Committee in the region, reported on measures taken to eliminate wage arrears in East Kazakhstan enterprises as part of the Labor Risk Map.
According to his report, 3,786 enterprises are covered under the regional Labor Risk Map. Among them, 31 enterprises are categorized as “high risk” for social tension, and 49 as “medium risk.”
“As a result of measures taken since September 2024, 170 enterprises have been removed from the high-risk category by state labor inspectors in cooperation with social partners, thereby protecting the rights of 3,800 employees. The total wage debt repaid amounted to 42.1 million tenge,” Kizatov stated, noting that this work is being carried out in cooperation with the Territorial Trade Union Association of East Kazakhstan Region.
Temirbek Kasymzhanov, Head of the Territorial Trade Union Association of East Kazakhstan Region, continued the discussion on developing social partnership. He reported that a regional Agreement on Social Partnership for 2024–2026 was signed between the akimat, trade union associations, and employers’ unions, defining coordinated positions on key areas of labor relations.
“Important issues have been addressed, such as the annual indexation of wages for workers in the real sector, payment of health benefits of at least one monthly salary for unskilled workers in the public sector, a 25% salary increase for public sector workers in rural areas, remuneration of public labor safety inspectors at not less than one minimum wage, and a 20% increase in utility payments for rural residents compared to the previous agreement,” said Kasymzhanov.
After hearing the reports of social partners, FTURK Chairman Satylbaldy Dauletalin praised the high level of social partnership in the region and emphasized the need to strengthen cooperation on several key priorities.
“Strengthening tripartite cooperation within the framework of social partnership is the most important issue. In 2024, we signed a General Agreement, which serves as the foundation for constructive interaction between social partners at the national level. Two meetings of the Republican Tripartite Commission were held this year, addressing urgent issues, including the prevention of labor conflicts and the development of a methodology for determining the minimum wage. In the regions, 119 meetings have been held. We introduced a co-chairing format in regional tripartite commissions. In East Kazakhstan, 7 commission meetings were held in 2024, with 4 chaired by the trade union center, three of which took place at trade union venues. This is a great initiative that should serve as an example for other regional commissions,” he stated.
Dauletalin emphasized that the regional agreement on social partnership adopted in East Kazakhstan—particularly the wage indexation provision—is one of the best in the country. “According to FTURK analysis, only 10% of the 155,000 collective agreements in Kazakhstan include wage indexation. This indicates that collective labor regulation is not yet at a high level. That’s why the Federation proposed enshrining wage indexation in the Labor Code, requiring employers to implement annual indexation based on inflation. This must cover employees earning up to 300,000 tenge. Top managers earning millions do not need indexation,” the FTURK Chairman added.
Continuing the topic of collective labor regulation, Dauletalin provided specific figures: “In East Kazakhstan Region, collective agreement coverage is 43.3%. In some regions, this figure exceeds 70–80%. Among large and medium-sized enterprises, the coverage is 100%, while among small businesses it is 38%. This represents an opportunity for active engagement of social partners.”He emphasized that a collective agreement is essentially the “mini-constitution of an enterprise,” regulating labor relations within organizations.
The FTURK Chairman named wages as a key barometer of workers’ well-being. He stated that the Federation is pushing for a gradual increase in the minimum wage in accordance with international standards, which recommend setting the minimum wage at no less than 50% of the average wage. FTURK has already submitted the relevant proposal to the government. Low wages, according to Dauletalin, are the primary cause of labor conflicts. The second is some employers’ unwillingness to engage in social dialogue. The third is insufficient workplace safety. He welcomed the President’s decision to declare 2025 the Year of Working Professions.
“We fully support the President’s initiative. Over the past half-century, the understanding of labor and the prestige of working professions has declined. I thank President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev for this decision, which gave strong momentum at all levels. It’s time to recognize that the prosperity of our country depends on the work of ordinary employees. We must move away from Soviet-era stereotypes that politicized the concept of the working class. Today’s worker is a highly skilled professional contributing to the economy and nation. Our task as social partners is to create safe and decent working conditions and fair pay. Without effective social dialogue, we cannot achieve this. Where there is social dialogue, there is stability and development,” Dauletalin emphasized.
Summarizing the meeting, Akim Nuryumbet Saktaganov confirmed the regional government’s commitment to supporting the institution of social partnership.
“From our side, the executive authorities will continue to promote social partnership in cooperation with trade unions and employers’ associations. We will work openly and fairly to improve the well-being of our citizens,” said the Akim.
A Memorandum confirming the joint intentions of FTURK and regional authorities was signed by FTURK Chairman Satylbaldy Dauletalin and Akim Nuryumbet Saktaganov.Media Center of the Federation of Trade Unions of the Republic of Kazakhstan