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.