Third Congress of the Confederation of Labor of Kazakhstan Held in Almaty
Forty delegates participated in the Third Congress of the Confederation of Labor of Kazakhstan (CLK), held on September 19 in Almaty. The event brought together representatives from sectoral trade unions affiliated with the CLK, as well as officials from the Ministry of Labor of Kazakhstan, the "Amanat" Trade Union Association, and the General Confederation of Trade Unions.
CLK General Secretary Murat Mashkenov presented a report on the republic’s trade union achievements over the past five years and outlined key priorities for future development. The Confederation will focus on protecting workers’ rights, improving social partnership, promoting decent work principles, and strengthening the organization’s financial and human resources.
"Our main task is to enlarge our membership base. This automatically addresses our financial stability and need for new members. To achieve this, we must offer union members new services. We should go further beyond traditional concerns like wages, workplace safety, and labor conditions and draw attention to other ones, like life insurance, auto and home insurance, legal services, and material support for all family members, and etc. It is this non-traditional package of additional services that has become a powerful method to motivate for union membership in Western countries today. Our challenges are even broader," emphasized Mashkenov in his report.
Margarita Usova, Deputy General Secretary of the General Confederation of Trade Unions, noted in her welcoming remarks that since its founding, the Confederation of Labor of Kazakhstan has remained true to trade union ideology.
"The Confederation highly values its independence. Your consistent and firm stance ensures active and effective protection of workers’ rights, making a significant contribution to social justice and improving living standards in Kazakhstan," Usova stated.
She also congratulated Congress delegates on achieving one of the CLK’s strategic goals: the ratification of ILO Convention No. 131 on Minimum Wage Fixing by the Mazhilis (lower house of the Parliament of Kazakhstan).
"The Confederation has persistently and determinedly pursued this goal at the state level. The ratification of the ILO convention just before the Congress is symbolic. It demonstrates that the CLK’s relentless efforts lead to tangible, concrete results for the people. Your work directly impacts the quality of life for millions of citizens of the Republic!" Usova underscored.
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