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- Convenors:
-
Serik Beimenbetov
(Kazakh-German University)
Zumratkhon Sanakulova (Al-Farabi National University)
Zhansaya Aitbay (Caspian Today Media Holding)
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- Format:
- Panel
- Theme:
- Political Science, International Relations, and Law
- Location:
- 702 (Floor 7)
- Sessions:
- Friday 7 June, -
Time zone: Asia/Almaty
Abstract:
This panel deals with the situation of workers in the oil sector in Kazakhstan, which has been under the increasing influence of neoliberal adjustment policies for years. These include the growing influence of transnational corporations, the gradual erosion of workers' rights and social benefits, the disempowerment of workers and increasing income inequality. All these phenomena have led to growing discontent among oil workers. Since the deadly riots in Zhana-Osen in 2011, which was the first attempt by oil workers to reclaim their rights, the number of protests in the oil sector has increased. Despite this, remarkably little attention has been paid to the relationship between neoliberalism and labor in the oil sector. To fill this gap, this panel will draw attention to the situation of oil workers in Western Kazakhstan, who have been under direct attack from neoliberal policies over the past decade. The panel comprises three contributions that examine the situation of workers in the oil sector from three interrelated angles. The first contribution will discuss the neoliberal economic model in Kazakhstan. In particular, it will trace the path of neoliberal reforms in the oil sector, critically examine their dynamics and assess their impact on the oil sector. The second contribution presents the results of a comprehensive survey on the situation of workers in the oil sector, which was conducted at several sites in western Kazakhstan in 2022. It examines the reasons for the increasing protests by oil workers, their demands, the protest dynamics and the driving forces. The last contribution deals with the problem of dwindling workers' rights and the role of the trade unions. It demonstrates that the trade unions do not play a role as advocates of workers' rights and are controlled by the state.
Accepted papers:
Session 1 Friday 7 June, 2024, -Abstract:
This contribution will examine the dynamics and structure of labour protests in the oil sector in Western Kazakhstan since independence. Based on the extensive analysis of protest events in the media and personal interviews in the field, it will analyse the forms, actors, trends and claims of the workers' protests and the forms of state reaction. Particular emphasis will be placed on the organisational forms of the oil companies where the protests took place. On this basis, the contribution will go on to analyse the cycles of the protest waves and discuss them for similarities and differences. It will be argued that despite their growing numbers, the protests of oil workers have remained scattered, isolated and poorly organised. This will be emphasised as the root cause of a weak social protest movement among oil workers.
Abstract:
The recent January events have become indicative for the whole country of the need
for radical changes and renewal of the state system and society. Dissatisfaction with the level
and quality of life, as well as social and labour conditions, led the Mangystau region and the
whole of Kazakhstan, which consonantly supported the demands, to protest. During his
working visit to the region, the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan noted that 150 labour
conflicts have been recorded in the region since the beginning of the year, which is one of the
highest indicators throughout the country. At the same time, it should be noted that labour
disputes and conflicts are growing annually in the region. The resolution of a certain conflict
does not solve the systemic problem of social and labour disputes and conflicts in the
workplace.
This paper presents original findings of field work done in Mangystau between May
to October in 2022. The aim of this study is to report on key determining issues of labour
relations in Mangystau region that reflect the regional growth. The scope of the study is oil
and gas blue-collar workers of Mangystau region, Kazakhstan. Research methods used in the
field work for data collection as follows: online and offline surveying and focus-group
interviewing.
Abstract:
This contribution critically examines the entry of neoliberal reforms into the oil sector. It contends that the introduction of neoliberal reforms in this sector has been associated with the dismantling of workers' rights, the erosion of trade unions and an increase in income inequality. Particular attention is paid to the neoliberal adjustment reforms in the employment sector, which ultimately led to the complete precarization of oil workers. It is shown that this process of precarization served the sole purpose of rendering the workers incapable of forming a viable labour protest movement.