On November 27–28, a Kazakh delegation led by Satybaldy Dauletalin, Chairman of the Federation of Trade Unions of the Republic of Kazakhstan (FPRK), participated in the 6th meeting of the Trade Union Council of Central Asia (CTUCA) in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. The forum also included trade union leaders from Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, as well as invited delegations from Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan.
The agenda addressed relevant issues: fostering cross-border migration as a means of ensuring effective international labor migration in Central Asia, the state of the environment and its influence on labor migration processes in the region, the creation of an information-legal database on social and labor protection, and occupational safety for members of trade unions in Central Asia, as well as the results of the competition for the title of “Best Social Partner.”
Welcoming participants of the 6th CTUCA meeting, Satybaldy Dauletalin, Chairman of the FPRK and Vice-President of the Pan-European Regional Council of the ITUC, reminded his colleagues that in the three years since its establishment, the CTUCA has gained international recognition, particularly from the International Labour Organization. He thanked international partners for their positive assessment of the Council’s activities. He emphasized the CTUCA’s readiness for open dialogue with the global community and other cross-national trade union organizations.
“Since the Council’s inception, we have jointly taken significant steps toward unifying our national trade centers and positioning ourselves within the international trade union community. The Council’s meetings have always been relevant, addressing many urgent issues. Previous meetings have tackled key topics, including strengthening regional cooperation, labor migration, tourism development, youth trade union policy, a unified communication strategy, promoting decent work in transnational corporations (TNCs), and involving TNC employers in social partnerships. We continue to steadily implement the goals and decisions from past meetings, addressing these issues within our countries. These actions enable us to improve social and labor relations in our countries, and foster cooperation in migration, social partnership, and youth policy,” noted Satybaldy Dauletalin.
Regarding the 6th CTUCA meeting’s agenda, Satybaldy Dauletalin emphasized the urgency of addressing labor migration issues.
“Labor migration today is a natural and inevitable global phenomenon affecting most countries, including our Central Asian region. Protecting labor rights and ensuring decent working conditions for labor migrants is a complex task requiring political, economic, and social solutions involving all societal sectors. Trade unions play an important role in this process. For trade unions, the legalization of labor migration in the region is a key issue. On an interstate level, it’s time to practically implement the Agreement on Labor Migration, signed by us in Shymkent. Current tasks include creating information and advisory centers for labor migrants within national trade centers. On a national level, we must provide governments with proposals for protecting labor migrants’ rights and present concrete initiatives to national social partnership commissions. Regionally, we must develop a joint strategy to address labor migration issues,” emphasized the FPRK Chairman.
According to Satybaldy Dauletalin, the FPRK will make every effort to ensure that agreements reached among CTUCA trade union organizations enhance the effectiveness of labor rights protection and the socio-economic interests of trade union members in Central Asia, as well as the development of the international trade union movement.
Meanwhile, to increase employers’ and trade unions’ interest in ensuring safe working conditions, compliance with labor laws, and promoting the trade unions’ role, the FPRK proposed holding an annual international competition for “Best Collective Agreement.”
Nurlybek Zhumash, a member of the Kazakh delegation and head of the FPRK apparatus, also highlighted Kazakhstan’s focus on addressing labor and illegal migration issues and protecting migrants’ rights.
He noted that while CIS agreements regulate cross-border cooperation and create a joint labor market, these agreements lack specific provisions on cross-border labor migration.
“There is a need to establish legislative frameworks that regulate the status of all workers and simplify existing rules. Labor migrants in Kazakhstan contribute to the development of both the host country and their country of origin. For host countries, this is reflected in services and increased labor market competitiveness, while countries of origin see capital inflow. Migration raises the living standards of many migrants and their families. Migrants fill gaps in the national labor market, performing jobs that local workers are unwilling or unable to do. However, labor migrants often face exploitation and violations of their rights,” said the Kazakh speaker.
Nurlybek Zhumash noted that unregistered migration remains widespread in Central Asia. Trade unions should play a role in properly regulating labor migration processes.
“Nongovernmental organizations, including trade unions, play a vital role in these processes. Today, trade unions are not just protectors of union members’ interests. They address various societal issues, including employment, gender equality, pensions, youth employment, and more. In regulating labor migration, trade unions must focus on recruiting migrants into trade unions, combating forced labor, preventing labor violations, ensuring safe working conditions, compensating for harm caused during employment, and providing social benefits and medical services. These goals can be achieved through expanded agreements between related trade unions in our countries, participation in drafting migration laws, closer collaboration with governments and employers on migration issues, and stricter measures against exploitative businesses fostering unfair labor market competition,” he stated.
Participants of the 6th CTUCA meeting supported the FPRK’s initiatives to develop common approaches, principles, and strategies for protecting migrant workers and the necessity of signing bilateral agreements with trade unions in countries where CTUCA members’ citizens work, thereby guaranteeing the protection of their labor rights.
As of October 1, 2024, 13,707 foreign citizens were employed in Kazakhstan under local government permits. Over the past year, the number of migrants from Russia has increased. According to Kazakhstan’s Bureau of National Statistics, 500,000 foreigners received temporary residence permits in 2024. Since 2023, Kazakhstan has abolished “visa runs,” border crossings to renew legal stay durations. Amendments to migration rules aim to control immigrant entry and combat illegal migration. EAEU citizens may now stay in Kazakhstan for up to 90 days within 180 days unless they hold temporary residence permits or visas.
Kazakhstan’s new Migration Policy Concept for 2023–2027 incorporates positive international practices adapted to national conditions.
The 6th CTUCA meeting concluded with the results of the International Competition for “Best Social Partner.” This year, Sergei Prokopyev, General Director of Kazchrome, was named the winner among the primary organizations of CTUCA member states.
FPRK Media Center