In countries with economies in transition, the support and strengthening of social dialogue is of particular importance. Social partnership (tripartism) is the most important tool for coordinating 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 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 a General Agreement between the Government, republican associations of workers and republican associations of employers; the 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 to citizens and social protection of the most vulnerable groups of the population have been identified as priority areas of negotiations.
Thanks to this Decree, a multi-level system of collective and 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 regulating 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 the social partnership are doing a lot of work on the development of social dialogue at all levels of trilateral cooperation.
The Republican Tripartite 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 RTK working groups;
-consultations, collective negotiations, coordination of the positions of the Parties on the main directions of socio-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 of social partnership at the republican 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 of ensuring the protection of workers' interests.
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 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.
Consultations and negotiations on the conclusion of a General Agreement are held annually at the republican level by social partners,
According to this document, the Government, employers and trade unions define 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, republican associations of employees and republican associations of employers for 2018-2020.
The General Agreement includes the most pressing issues: creation of new jobs, reduction of unemployment, improvement of the wage system, labor protection and safety, reduction of poverty, protection of the domestic market.
The development of the agreement was attended by 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).
The General Agreement is the main document of social partnership, which establishes priority directions 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.