Social partnership in the Republic of Kazakhstan.
In countries with economies in transition, supporting and strengthening social dialogue is of particular importance. Social partnership (tripartism) is an essential tool for reconciling interests between government, employers and workers' organizations that represent key members of society. Trilateral cooperation is a socio-political mechanism for regulating relations, based on the principle of equal negotiations, reaching a compromise between government officials, employers, trade unions, preventing social conflicts and is the basis of the social mechanism for regulating social and labor relations.
The civilized development of the social partnership system in Kazakhstan began in 1994 on the basis of the Resolution "On social partnership in the field of socio-economic and labor relations" adopted by the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan. This resolution determined the annual conclusion of the General Agreement between the Government, republican associations of workers and republican associations of employers; conclusion of sectoral agreements between ministries, sectoral associations of trade unions and employers of the relevant industry and regional agreements between local executive authorities, associations of workers and employers.
The issues of employment of the population, wages, social guarantees for citizens and social protection of the most vulnerable groups of the population were set as priority areas of the negotiations. Thanks to this Decree, a multi-level system of collective-contractual regulation of labor relations was initiated in the republic: state - industry - regions - enterprises.
The decree laid the foundation for the development of the normative base of trilateral cooperation in the republic. Today, Kazakhstan has created a regulatory legal framework that regulates social partnership. With the adoption of the Law "On Social Partnership in the Republic of Kazakhstan", and subsequently the Labor Codes, social dialogue acquired the status of an institutional mechanism for consultations and negotiations between representatives of the Government, workers and employers.
Kazakhstan is one of the first states among the countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States to adopt a law on social partnership. Currently, social partnership bodies operate at the republican, regional and sectoral levels in Kazakhstan (Article 147 of the Labor Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan). The parties to social partnership are doing a lot to develop social dialogue at all levels of trilateral cooperation. Under the chairmanship of the Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the republican tripartite commission on social partnership and regulation of social and labor relations functions.
The Republican Tripartite Commission (RTK) is the supreme consultative and advisory body, carries out its activities in the form of: - meetings of representatives of the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan, republican associations of workers and republican associations of employers; - meetings of working groups of the RTK; - consultations, collective bargaining, coordination of the positions of the Parties in the main areas of social, labor and related economic relations.
At the meetings of the RTK, the most pressing issues in the field of labor and social development are considered. The main parties to social partnership at the republican level are authorized representatives of the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan, republican associations of workers and republican associations of employers (Article 148 of the Labor Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan). Republican associations of workers in the Republic of Kazakhstan are represented by the Federation of Trade Unions of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Kazakhstan Confederation of Labor, the Republican Association of Trade Unions "Commonwealth of Trade Unions of Kazakhstan" Amanat "with the main goal of protecting the interests of workers. Republican associations of employers are represented by the National Chamber of Entrepreneurs of Kazakhstan "Atameken" and the Confederation of Employers of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
The main goals and objectives of the activities of associations of employers and employees are: the implementation of representation in government agencies, public and other organizations, including foreign; practical and consulting assistance of a legal, economic, organizational and managerial nature to members of their associations.
Every year at the republican level, social partners conduct consultations and negotiations on the conclusion of the General Agreement, According to this document, the Government, employers and trade unions determine agreed positions and obligations on the basic principles of regulating social and labor relations at the republican level. On January 31, 2018, the Parties to social partnership signed the General Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Republic of