Marek Migalski on the situation in Kazakhstan
Tuesday, 13 September, 2011
During the plenary session in Strasbourg, Marek Migalski presented the situation of Kazakh oil industry workers to Members of the Parliament. In Kazakhstan, strikes have been carried out in the whole Magnitausky district for the last few months. It is the first strike of this duration and scale which has an impact on the oil sector, strategic for Kazakhstan, and the most important national company, KazMunayGaz. Actions which have been undertaken by the management of the company and authorities of the state are not effective and are leading to intensification of the forms of protest. Demands of the striking workers pertain to such issues as raising salaries, recognizing independent labor unions and obtaining the rights to elect the authorities of legitimately operating labor unions. The number of the striking people is estimated at a few thousand persons. Part of the protesting workers carry out a hunger strike. Marek Migalski underlined that the situation is worsening, because in August there were a few cases of assasination of labor union leaders and their relatives. Zhaksylyk Turbaev, a labor union activist, and an 18-year-old Zhansaule Karabalaeva, a daughter of a trade union activist were murdered. Marek Migalski appealed to the European Union to make the decisions referring to Kazakhstan and the help provided for this country conditional on its observation of human rights on its territory.