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.