On Friday, 6 February, an event dedicated to a detailed discussion of the draft of the new Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan was held at the Federation of Trade Unions of the Republic of Kazakhstan under the leadership of the Chairman of FTURK and member of the Constitutional Commission, Satybaldy Dauletalin.
The event was attended by heads of national sectoral trade unions, trade union centers from all regions of the country, and trade union activists.
Welcoming the participants, Satybaldy Dauletalin spoke about his work within the Constitutional Commission and emphasized the historical significance of the constitutional reform currently underway in the country.
“To date, more than 4,000 proposals and appeals have been submitted to the Constitutional Commission by political parties, non-governmental and public organizations, and citizens of the country. This demonstrates the strong public engagement of our compatriots regarding what the country’s Fundamental Law will be like and the fact that it will be adopted by the people through a Referendum. In terms of significance, the transformations taking place in the country open a new stage of state development and are of a historic nature,” noted the Chairman of FTURK.
Speaking specifically about the draft of the Fundamental Law, Satybaldy Dauletalin highlighted several key points.
“It is particularly important that the draft is generally oriented toward a social state. For trade unions, the right to work and its constitutional substance is one of the key elements of the draft new Constitution. Unlike the current Constitution, the draft confirms the right of everyone to work and to freely choose their occupation. What is fundamentally important, however, is that in the logic of the new text this right is not considered in isolation, but in conjunction with the social character of the state and the priority of the individual. This signifies a shift from a formal approach to a more substantive understanding of work as the foundation of a decent life.
For trade unions, this opens up an important space. The right to work in this context is not merely the opportunity to be employed, but the right to work in safe conditions, with fair remuneration, and with protection against arbitrariness and discrimination. The constitutional status of this right strengthens the position of workers in disputes with employers and the state, since any decisions in the field of employment, labor market reforms, optimization, and digitalization must be aligned with the basic constitutional principle of protecting the working person,” stated the Chairman of the Federation of Trade Unions.
Another equally significant change, according to Satybaldy Dauletalin, is the emergence of a new consultative body — the Halyk Council.
“The inclusion in the draft of a provision on the Halyk Council as a separate institution of citizen participation in public governance can be viewed as a step toward the real expansion of democratic representation. By its logic, this is not a decorative body or a consultative platform created for formality. The Council is conceived as a mechanism for direct dialogue between society and the authorities, with the ability to put forward initiatives, discuss key reforms, and address socially significant decisions.
For employees and trade unions, this is fundamentally important. For the first time at the constitutional level, a channel is being created through which social groups, including labor collectives, can institutionally influence the agenda, including through legislative initiatives, rather than merely reacting after decisions have been made,” emphasized the Chairman of FTURK.
In turn, Deputy Chairman of FTURK Nurlan Uteshev provided a detailed overview of the main provisions of the draft new Constitution. He focused participants’ attention on the proposed changes in the architecture of public administration, as well as on issues of citizens’ rights and freedoms.
During the discussion of the draft new Constitution, trade union leaders from various sectors and regions put forward proposals and expressed their views.
Chairman of the Sectoral Trade Union of Employees of State, Banking Institutions and Public Services “Qyzmet,” Mirbolat Zhakypov, stated that a comparative analysis of the current Constitution and the draft new one shows a clearer specification of rights and freedoms, as well as mechanisms for the legal protection of the interests of Kazakhstan’s citizens.
Meanwhile, Chairman of the Sectoral Trade Union of Workers in the Chemical, Petrochemical, and Related Industries, Kerim Primkululy, emphasized the importance of the equality of defense and prosecution in the justice system as defined in the draft new Constitution.
Chairman of the Kazakhstan Sectoral Mining and Metallurgical Trade Union “QAZAQMETAL KÁSIPODAǴY,” and Member of the Mazhilis of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Asylbek Nuralin, highlighted the relevance of the parliamentary reform outlined in the draft new Constitution.
Continuing the discussion, Chairman of the Trade Union Center of Aktobe Region, Altynbek Amirgaliyev, addressing the participants on behalf of the region’s trade union associations, proposed adopting a joint Appeal to Compatriots calling for support of the draft new Constitution.
This proposal was supported by other trade union leaders, including Chairwoman of the Kazakhstan Sectoral Trade Union of Education, Science and Higher Education Workers, Aigul Mukasheva, Head of the Trade Union Center of Almaty Region, Asset Qydyrmanov, and others.
After hearing the participants, Chairman of the Federation of Trade Unions of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Satybaldy Dauletalin, emphasized that the fundamental values for the state and the citizen are enshrined in the draft Constitution, and that supporting the draft Fundamental Law means making a civic contribution to the further development of the state and its people.
“We are going through an important historical stage that directly affects the future of Kazakhstan. The decision to support this draft Constitution will influence the prospective state of society, stability, and the long-term development vector of our country. This is a responsible moment in which the opinion and position of every citizen acquire special significance. It is especially important that this stage coincides with a period of geopolitical turbulence. Supporting and adopting the new Constitution in the context of external and internal challenges is a step toward preserving Kazakhstan’s stable course of development,” summarized the Chairman of FTURK.
At the conclusion of the event, the participants supported the adoption of an Appeal to the People of Kazakhstan on behalf of the Federation of Trade Unions of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
Text Of The Appeal
APPEAL
of the Federation of Trade Unions of the Republic of Kazakhstan
in support of constitutional reform
Dear citizen Kazakhstan,
Today, Kazakhstan is carrying out extensive and significant work to prepare the draft of a new Constitution of the country.
The Constitutional Commission has developed a new version of the country’s Fundamental Law, oriented toward modern realities and the demands of society.
A crucial historical stage is approaching that directly affects the future of the country.
The decision to support this document will influence the prospective condition of society, stability, and the long-term development vector of the state. At such a responsible moment, the opinion and position of every citizen take on particular importance.
The Federation of Trade Unions of the Republic of Kazakhstan, representing the interests of nearly two million working people in the country, declares its support for the ongoing constitutional reform and highlights a number of provisions that are of fundamental importance for the development of a social state, the strengthening of the role of the working person, and the expansion of democratic participation in governing the country.
We believe that the draft new Constitution is a law in which the value of the individual stands above the system.
In addition, the draft new Constitution defines social responsibility and public unity as key values. Labor protection, education, and progress are identified as strategic priorities of the state.
The draft new Constitution fully preserves Kazakhstan’s status as a social state. In this context, the social orientation has been strengthened, mechanisms for the security of every citizen enhanced, equality before the law ensured, and protection of honor, dignity, and labor guaranteed.
All of these areas are unwavering principles for trade unions.
The constitutional reform is aimed at transitioning the country to a new qualitative stage of development.
The norms proposed in the draft regarding the work of the People’s Council and the unicameral parliament — the Kurultai — are systemic steps that provide for strengthening democratic institutions and improving the quality of public participation in governance and decision-making on socially significant issues.
The participation of civil society, including trade unions, in these processes creates real opportunities to take into account the interests of millions of working people.
The draft new Constitution embeds constructive patriotism as a key life stance, based on discipline, professionalism, honest labor, and respect for the law.
Improving the well-being of the people is, for the first time, enshrined as a constitutional goal.
Thus, the main criterion of development is defined as the quality of life of citizens and working people.
Moreover, the draft new Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan complies with the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.
It contains provisions that guarantee the right to working conditions that meet safety and hygiene requirements, remuneration without any discrimination, and social protection in accordance with the law. For trade unions, a key element of the draft is the right to work and its constitutional substance. The draft confirms the right of everyone to work and to freely choose their occupation; however, it is fundamentally important that this right is considered in the context of the social nature of the state and the priority of the individual. This corresponds to the interests of workers and the objectives that trade unions consistently uphold within the framework of social dialogue.
On behalf of the Federation of Trade Unions of the Republic of Kazakhstan, we express our firm conviction that constitutional reform will unite society, strengthen the voice of the working person, and create opportunities to enhance social justice.
The Federation of Trade Unions of the Republic of Kazakhstan declares its support for constitutional reforms and the draft new Constitution as an important step toward building a Just Kazakhstan.
Support for constitutional reforms by trade unions is conscious and responsible. We view the new Constitution as a foundation for further work on improving labor legislation, developing social partnership, and strengthening guarantees of decent work.
The Federation of Trade Unions of the Republic of Kazakhstan believes that the adoption of the new Constitution will contribute to building a Just Kazakhstan and confirms the state’s readiness to build its policies on respect for the individual, their labor, and solidarity within society.
We call on all citizens to deeply recognize our shared responsibility for the future of the country and to support the prepared draft of the new Constitution.
Federation of Trade Unions of the Republic of Kazakhstan