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Social partnership in the Republic of Kazakhstan.
In countries with economies in transition, supporting and strengthening social dialogue is particularly important. Social partnership (tripartism) is an essential tool for reconciling interests between the 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 forms 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 Decree "On Social Partnership in the field of socio-economic and labor relations"adopted by the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
This resolution defined the annual conclusion of a General agreement between the Government, republican associations of employees and republican associations of employers; the conclusion of industry agreements between ministries, industry associations of trade unions and employers of the relevant industry and regional agreements between local executive authorities, associations of employees and employers.
The issues of employment, wages, social guarantees to citizens and social protection of the most vulnerable groups of the population were identified 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 resolution marked the beginning of the development of the regulatory framework for 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 has 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 countries among the countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States to adopt a law on social partnership.
Currently, social partnership bodies operate at the national, regional and sectoral levels in Kazakhstan (Article 147 of the Labor Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan).
The parties to the social partnership are working hard to develop social dialogue at all levels of trilateral cooperation.
The Republican trilateral Commission on social Partnership and Regulation of Social and labor relations functions under the chairmanship of the Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The Republican Trilateral Commission (RTC) is the highest consultative and advisory body that carries out its activities in the form of:
- meetings of representatives of the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan, republican associations of employees and republican associations of employers;
- meetings of RTC working groups;
- consultations, collective negotiations, coordination of the positions of the Parties in the main areas of social and labor and related economic relations.
At the meetings of the RTC, the most pressing issues in the field of labor and social development are considered.
The main parties of social partnership at the national level are authorized representatives of the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan, republican associations of employees 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 - to ensure the protection of 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 activity of employers 'and employees' associations are: representation in state bodies, public and other organizations, including foreign ones;
practical and consulting assistance of a legal, economic, organizational and managerial nature to members of their associations.
Every year, the social partners hold consultations and negotiations on the conclusion of the General Agreement at the national level.
According to this document, the Government, employers and trade unions determine the agreed positions and obligations on the basic principles of regulating social and labor relations at the national level.
On January 31, 2018, the Parties to the social partnership signed a General Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the republican associations of employees and the republican associations of employers for 2018-2020.
The General Agreement includes the most pressing issues: creating new jobs, reducing unemployment, improving the wage system, labor protection and safety, reducing poverty, and protecting the domestic market.
The social partners - the Federation of Trade Unions, the Confederation of Labor of Kazakhstan, the Confederation of Free Trade Unions of Kazakhstan, the National Chamber of Entrepreneurs and industry associations of employers (hereinafter referred to as the parties) – took part in the development of the agreement.
The General Agreement is the main document of the social partnership, which establishes priority areas in the following areas of joint activity of the parties:
employment of the population;
improving labor productivity;
the sphere of social security and the development of social partnership.