From February 12 to 14, the Chairman of the Federation of Trade Unions of the Republic of Kazakhstan (FPRK), Satybaldy Dauletalin, is on a working visit to the Kostanay region. The purpose of the visit is to familiarize himself with the socio-labor situation, discuss further steps in the development of social partnership in the region, and engage in direct dialogue with ordinary workers of enterprises.
During the visit, Satybaldy Dauletalin visited JSC “Sokolov-Sarbai Mining and Processing Production Association” (SSGPO) in the city of Rudny, where he met with the workforce and examined the enterprise’s social infrastructure.
JSC “Sokolov-Sarbai Mining and Processing Production Association” (SSGPO) is a major iron ore giant in Kazakhstan’s mining industry, engaged in the extraction and processing of mineral resources. Founded in 1954, the enterprise currently employs approximately 12,000 people, with 100% of employees covered by union membership.
According to the acting General Director, Pavel Maevsky, due to the geopolitical situation in the world, the number of importers of SSGPO products, particularly from Russia, has decreased. Nevertheless, the company’s products remain in demand in the Kazakh and Chinese markets, where iron ore concentrate and pellets are supplied.
The delegation, led by FPRK Chairman Satybaldy Dauletalin, visited the Sokolov quarry, where 3 million tons of iron ore are extracted annually. As noted by the head of the Sarbai mining department, Evgeny Chernov, 600 people are currently employed at the site.
All employees of JSC “SSGPO” have the opportunity to enhance their knowledge and qualifications at the company’s Corporate University, which was the next destination of Satybaldy Dauletalin’s visit.
Maria Girfanova, the manager of the Corporate University, provided details about the training processes. According to her, around 15,000 employees undergo training annually, including workers from JSC “SSGPO,” ERG Service, Kachary Ruda, and KBRU. Training is conducted in both Kazakh and Russian languages. The mandatory training programs include industrial safety, occupational health and safety, fire-technical minimum, working at heights, electrical safety, and more. The learning process incorporates innovative technologies, such as simulators for heavy-duty mining trucks, quarry excavators, and virtual reality headsets.
In one of the Corporate University’s classrooms, the Chairman of the FPRK met with the workforce of JSC “SSGPO.” The chairman of the enterprise’s trade union committee, Yerlan Alkenov, spoke about collaboration with the employer to create favorable working conditions, formalized in a collective agreement signed at the end of last year.
“One of the innovations introduced in the collective agreement is that all payments are now specified not in monetary terms but in monthly calculation indicators. This ensures that payments will be indexed annually. This year, the wage indexation amounted to 8.5%,” noted Yerlan Alkenov.
In turn, the enterprise’s employees emphasized the importance of the trade union organization’s activities at the workplace.
A young excavator operator, Zhomart Sultanbek, shared his personal calculations regarding the monetization of the collective agreement.
“When one of my senior colleagues asked, ‘Where do our trade union contributions go?’ I decided to analyze and make my own calculations. By deducting 1% of my salary monthly to the union, we receive benefits many times over through the advantages provided by the collective agreement. These include free access to the gym, medical services, quality meals, and incentives for diligent work. When all these benefits are added up, the return on our contributions is multiple times greater. That is why I have been a union member since my first days at SSGPO,” said Zhomart Sultanbek.
While communicating with the enterprise’s employees, FPRK Chairman Satybaldy Dauletalin emphasized the significance of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s decision to declare the Year of Working Professions.
“The focus on the working person by the Head of State is an important and timely step that trade unions have unconditionally supported. The demand for working professions will only grow. In this regard, I would like to stress that a modern worker is, first and foremost, a highly skilled specialist. The prestige of working professions depends not only on employers but also on the workers themselves. Without knowledge, skills, and competencies, one will lose out. Therefore, it is crucial to create conditions that motivate workers to pursue further development and remain competitive,” emphasized Satybaldy Dauletalin.
Discussing the activities of the FPRK within the framework of social partnership, he highlighted that the primary asset for all social partners should remain the Worker.
“According to trade unions, social partners today have clear objectives – to restore the prestige of working professions, train highly qualified young specialists, and create favorable working conditions for them. What is needed for this? First and foremost, decent wages, safe working conditions, opportunities for learning and skill enhancement, and the adoption of socially oriented collective agreements,” the FPRK Chairman enumerated.
During the meeting with the workforce, the efforts of the enterprise’s employees were recognized. Satybaldy Dauletalin awarded the trade union medal “Enbek Ozaty” to dump truck driver Lyubov Babasheva, chairman of the factory complex trade union committee Alexey Boyko, and underground site driller Karim Danenov.
As part of the visit to JSC “SSGPO,” the FPRK delegation also inspected the working conditions provided for employees at the enterprise’s sports complex and visited the construction site of a general education school for 1,200 students – one of the company’s latest social projects.
Satybaldy Dauletalin highly appreciated the development of social partnership at JSC “SSGPO.”
Media Center of the Federation of Trade Unions of the Republic of Kazakhstan