On Wednesday, June 4, at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, within the framework of the 113th Session of the International Labour Conference, the delegation of the Federation of Trade Unions of the Republic of Kazakhstan, headed by the Chairman of the FTURK Satybaldy Dauletalin, took part in the plenary session, at which the participants of the Conference discussed the Report of the Director General of the International Labour Organization Gilbert Ungbo.
In his annual Report “Jobs, Rights and Growth: Strengthening Interconnection”, the ILO Director-General outlined the pressing problems for the world community in the field of labor caused by global changes and challenges: climate change, introduction of new technologies, instability in the economy. According to Gilbert Ungbo, problems can be overcome only in an equal social dialogue, in which the participation of all parties to social partnership is necessary – governments, representatives of employees, representatives of employers.
“In times of rapid change and extreme uncertainty, social dialogue is our most promising way to ensure inclusive economic growth, decent working conditions and responsible institutions. Achieving social justice remains the responsibility of each of us at the individual, national and global levels. Globally, partnerships should be built on the basis of democratic values,” the Report of the Director-General of the ILO noted.
It is symbolic that on the Day of State Symbols of the Republic of Kazakhstan, today for the first time Kazakh speech sounded from the rostrum of the International Labor Conference, Chairman of the Federation of Trade Unions of the Republic of Kazakhstan Satybaldy Dauletalin delivered his speech in the state language at the plenary session of the 113th session of the International Labor Conference. The head of the Kazakh delegation expressed support for the priorities outlined in the Report of the ILO Director-General.
“The world of work today is in a phase of deep tectonic shifts. The report of the ILO Director-General accurately reflected: the relationship between employment, rights and economic growth requires not just accounting, but strategic management. We are faced with the fact that economic growth is increasingly not accompanied by the corresponding growth of quality jobs. We are witnessing an alarming trend: economic growth occurs without the growth of quality employment. This “employment gap” is not just an economic anomaly; it is a signal of a failure in the social contract. Today, it is more important than ever that social dialogue becomes an infrastructure of democratic trust, not a formal procedure. In the era of digital transformation, we must prevent the scenario of “technological neoliberalism”, when the benefits are concentrated in a few, and the risks fall on the shoulders of the majority. The voice of workers should be at the center of the development strategy. Trade unions are not just defenders of the interests of certain categories of workers. These are institutional partners of a sustainable future,” the head of the Kazakh delegation said.
Speaking about the situation in Central Asia, Satybaldy Dauletalin noted that all the challenges of our time have not bypassed our region.
“Central Asia also faces a number of common challenges: a high level of informal employment; weak protection for the self-employed and digital platform workers; limited coverage of social protection and the need for a deep update of labor legislation. Nevertheless, we believe that Central Asia can become a region where decent work will become the foundation of sustainable growth. And here Kazakhstan can play an important role in promoting decent work in Central Asia. We, as the Federation of Trade Unions, are ready to actively participate – in dialogue, in ILO initiatives, in the exchange of best practices with our partners in the region and beyond. We see sustainable economic growth, growing openness to the world, as well as the state’s declared commitment to the principles of international labor law. All this creates a space for positive changes. And we, the Trade Unions, see our task – to be a constructive partner in this process, capable of offering sustainable and balanced solutions,” said the Chairman of the Federation of Trade Unions of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
From the rostrum of the 113th session of the International Labor Conference, the trade union leader of Kazakhstan Satybaldy Dauletalin put forward specific proposals.
“On behalf of the Federation of Trade Unions of the Republic of Kazakhstan, we put forward three key proposals that will be useful not only to us, but also to other countries with economies in transition.
First: to introduce a mechanism for mandatory assessment of the impact on the labor market in the development of economic and investment policy. No major initiative – from an infrastructure project to a trade agreement – should be adopted without assessing its impact on decent work.
Second: to create international labor standards for AI and platform employment. It should be not only a framework declaration, but also a full-fledged ILO normative document, similar to Convention №190 or №102.
Third: to support trade unions in the transformation. We ask the ILO to consider the possibility of creating a Regional Innovation Center for Trade Unions in Central Asia in Kazakhstan – with a focus on digitalization, rejuvenation, work with new categories of workers,” Satybalda Dauletalin outlined the initiatives.
At the end of his speech, the head of the Kazakh delegation thanked the International Labor Organization for the support and opportunity to exchange views between the states.
“We sincerely thank the ILO and Mr. Ungbo personally for their leadership, support and for creating a platform where the voice of workers does not sound formally, but really. The Federation of Trade Unions of Kazakhstan is ready to be a part of this path: cooperate, learn, share experience and together with you – to fight for decent work and justice for all. We have a window of opportunity in front of us. Closing it means missing a chance for a fair future. To use means to preserve faith in work as a source of dignity, freedom and development,” Satybaldy Dauletalin concluded.
It should be noted that all the initiatives expressed from the rostrum of the International Labour Conference will form the basis of the final documents of the 113th session.
Meanwhile, members of the Kazakh delegation from the Federation of Trade Unions of the Republic of Kazakhstan also take part in the work of the Conference Committees.
Recall that the Conference creates committees to consider the items of the agenda of the session. These committees meet simultaneously throughout the session and at the end of the session submit to the Plenary Session of the Conference for adoption a resolution containing instruments, conclusions and other final documents. At the 113th session of the Conference, delegates from governments, employers and workers from 187 ILO member states discuss topical topics for the labor sphere: new international standards for the protection of workers from biological hazards in the industrial environment, decent work in a platform economy and innovative approaches to promote the transition from an informal to a formal economy.
Media Center of the Federation of Trade Unions of the Republic of Kazakhstan