[Translation prepared by Business & Human Rights Resource Centre]

Mine and plant workers in the Karaganda region who put forward demands ask for a decision before 3rd of August; the employer has not commented yet, 21 July 2022

In the village of Akzhal, Karaganda region, hundreds of workers from a mine extracting lead-zinc ore and an ore processing plant put forward their demands to their employer, the Nova Zinc company. They set a condition for the management of the enterprise - to provide them with an answer and resolve a number of issues by 3rd of August. If they refuse, the workers tell RFE/RL, they intend to file a notice of peaceful protest. The company has not commented yet on the situation.

...On 21st of July, workers told RFE/RL that the management of the Russian Chelyabinsk Zinc Plant, which owns Nova Zinc LLP, arrived at the enterprise, and tomorrow, according to people, it was expected that workers would be asked about the situation. In this regard, some employees expressed concern, suggesting that they might be put under pressure.

— The main requirement is to increase wages by 50 percent, remove the technical director, HR director and head of the labor department from the position. We have very low salaries in all departments, working conditions are deplorable, directors don’t do their jobs, don’t work with people, the attitude is bad. The directors are visiting. And their attitude towards us does not suit us. We demand that these issues be resolved by 3rd of August. The people gathered and voiced their demands. After this, a group of workers and the general director discussed the demands and the workers gave a deadline until 3rd of August. If their answer does not satisfy us on the 3rd of August, we will write a statement for a peaceful rally and stop all production. They hinted to us that they could write a statement against us,” one of the workers told an RFE/RL correspondent...

According to workers, the miners of the underground mine and the workers of the ore processing plant did not stop production completely and did not go on strike, but gathered on the street and expressed their dissatisfaction, putting forward demands to the General Director of Nova Zinc LLP Mahmut Mustafin and the arriving authorities. According to the workers, representatives of the prosecutor's office and the akimat were on site.

RFE/RL's correspondent contacted the Nova Zinc company with a request to comment on the situation. The company referred to the assistant to the general director, who answered by phone that the parties had not yet sat down at the negotiating table and that the company would be able to give answers to RFE/RL’s questions later. A company spokeswoman then said she would “coordinate” a response with the CEO and would call back within the hour. There was no response even after the end of the working day. She stopped answering calls and messages. RFE/RL's correspondent also emailed the company, but there was no response at the time of publication...