2 March, 2010International Metalworkers' Federation CIS regional office together with the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung foundation organized a seminar in Almaty on consolidation and tackling problems of the trade union movement in Kazakhstan in response to the financial crisis.
KAZAKHSTAN: On February 27 and 28, 30 activists representing both traditional and newly created independent trade unions and public associations of Kazakhstan participated in a seminar organized by the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung foundation and the International Metalworkers' Federation regional office for the Commonwealth of Independent States. During the seminar participants discussed principles and possible forms of consolidation of labour and the trade union movement.
According to participants the world economic and financial crisis has had a very strong impact on workers in Kazakhstan as the country has became a testing ground for neoliberal experiments with many components of the social protection system removed.
At some enterprises, following liquidation of trade union organizations, the remaining activists decided to form public associations. Some of the participants stated the reason for this action is that such associations are absolutely independent of employers, and unlike trade unions are not obliged to declare their membership. They unite workers at different enterprises and enable them to support each other. In addition, according to the national law "other organizations" have the right to represent the collective interests of labour, if this decision is accepted at a conference or if the necessary quantity of individual powers of attorney is collected. Such practice however undermines traditional position of trade unions regulating labour relations.
Natalia Tomilova, the chairman of the public association called Miners' family (Karaganda), formed by miners' widows, told the participants about her organization undertaking trade union functions. Having received powers of attorney from miners who did not trust their existing trade union, she took part in collective negotiations with the employer of the coal division of enterprise Arcelor-Mittal.
The transnational companies (TNCs) coming to Kazakhstan often forget about principles of social dialogue they used to follow in their home countries. For instance participants of the seminar gave the example of the trading service network of the German company MAN where in August 2009 a trade union was formed and Evgeny Singer, the elected trade union leader notified the employer about it. The reaction of the management was fast: the following day the chairman of the union received his first penalty, and on September 1, 2009 the second one. Pressure was put upon all members of the trade union which resulted in four withdrawals from membership bySeptember 2, 2009. The newly formed union organization decided to seek help from the IMF asking it to assist in establishing contacts with their German counterparts.
Ainur Kurmanov, the leader of public association "Talmas", also took part in the seminar. According to his estimations, also supported by many of the participants at the seminar, the financial crisis has resulted in a growing mood of protest in the society, which has included numerous protest actions by deceived shareholders and workers who lost their housing investments.