Kazakhstan: Global unions condemn government attacks on unions

The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) and IndustriALL are calling on the government of Kazakhstan to cease interfering in the legitimate activities of independent trade unions, end harassment of union activists and allow independent unions to be registered.

“The government has been telling the world that it accepts freedom of association, but its actions prove otherwise. It is not telling the truth in its submissions to the ILO. Instead, it is pandering to the interests of oil companies by launching a legal action to suspend the Trade Union of Fuel and Energy Industry Workers, having dissolved the independent trade union centre, CITUK, in 2017. This is a completely unacceptable breach of the government’s obligations under ILO standards,” said ITUC General Secretary Sharan Burrow.

There is a LabourStart campaign in support of Kazakhstan’s independent unions. Please click here to join it.

For more information, click here for a story from Human Rights Watch.