On Thursday, May 8, under the leadership of the Chair of the Federation of Trade Unions of the Republic of Kazakhstan (FTURK), Satybaldy Dauletalin, a regular meeting of the FTURK Executive Committee was held.
FTURK Chief of Staff Nurlibek Zhumash presented the results of statistical reporting from the Federation’s member organizations. According to the data, the total number of trade union members increased by 26,134 people.
“FTURK trade union organizations operate in 16,461 enterprises and organizations across the republic. The number of employees at enterprises with trade union presence is 1.709 million people, with union membership coverage reaching 91.6%. FTURK trade union organizations are represented in all regions of Kazakhstan. By the end of 2024, there has been a positive trend in trade union membership within the FTURK,” noted Nurlibek Zhumash.
Moreover, membership increased in 12 sectoral trade unions, with the highest growth seen in the unions of: medical workers “Qaz Med”, education, science and higher education workers, “Qyzmet”, and workers in culture, sports, and information.
FTURK Chair Satybaldy Dauletalin, commenting on the statistical data regarding the increase in union membership, emphasized the stability within the trade union ranks.
“In 2024, trade union activists of FTURK member organizations carried out work to attract new members to existing trade union organizations and to establish new ones. During the reporting period, 49,807 new members joined 558 newly created primary trade union organizations. The number of young people under 35 reached over 429,000, representing 27.5% of total FTURK membership. The number of women in trade unions exceeds 845,000, or 54% of the total union membership. The number of workplace safety councils at enterprises also increased, with 350 new councils established with union participation. Overall, the statistics indicate that our trade union structures are in a stable and sustainable position, showing positive dynamics across all key indicators,” noted the FTURK Chair.
Continuing on organizational and structural issues, Satybaldy Dauletalin emphasized the need for member organizations to strengthen efforts in expanding the coverage of collective bargaining regulation of labor relations at enterprises across the country.
“The current system of collective bargaining regulation within FTURK, based on data from member organizations, includes 15,928 collective agreements. In 2024, a total of 6,170 collective agreements were concluded. The share of primary trade union organizations covered by collective agreements remained largely unchanged in 2024 at 95%. However, the number of trade union organizations without collective agreements totaled 692. Targeted work with social partners at enterprises to conclude collective agreements must continue,” the FTURK Chair tasked his colleagues.
According to him, the presence of a collective agreement at an enterprise is a guarantee of the observance and protection of employees’ social and labor rights. Regarding legal protection of union members’ rights, Satybaldy Dauletalin noted that the participation of union lawyers in resolving labor disputes in courts is yielding concrete results. Of the 122 court cases, 102 were decided in favor of the employees.
Members of the FTURK Executive Committee also reviewed and approved the plan for preparing and conducting the upcoming 27th Congress of the Federation of Trade Unions of the Republic of Kazakhstan, and established an organizing committee.
“There will be a report from the General Council on the results of five years of work by the Federation and its member organizations. Ahead of the Congress, we must conduct careful work to collect proposals from primary trade union organizations. Every trade union member’s voice must be heard in the development of the new Strategy for the Federation of Trade Unions,” concluded Satybaldy Dauletalin.
Media Center of the Federation of Trade Unions of the Republic of Kazakhstan