Trade Union Day in Kazakhstan Date in the current year: October 10, 2024

The roots of the trade union movement of Kazakhstan can be traced back to the early 20th century. The first trade union in the country was the Union of Workers of the Uspensky Copper Mine, located in the present-day Karaganda Region. It was created on December 6, 1905.

In the Soviet Union, the activities of all trade unions were coordinated by the All-Union Central Council of Trade Unions (VTsSPS), created in 1918. At the 19th plenary session of the VTsSPS, held in 1948, a resolution was adopted to approve the foundation of the Kazakh Council of Trade Unions (Kazsovprof), the central body responsible for administering the trade unions of the Kazakh SSR.

On October 10, 1990 (two weeks before Kazakhstan declared its sovereignty), Kazsovprof was disbanded and succeeded by the Federation of Trade Unions of the Kazakh SSR at the 14th Congress of Trade Unions of Kazakhstan. The founders and first members of the Federation were professional trade unions and regional trade union associations.

The Federation was conceived as an association of trade unions independent from the public authorities, political parties and employers. Its main tasks included: to consolidate the activities of trade unions, to represent and protect the labor, social and economic rights and interests of trade union members, and to secure the rights and freedoms of trade unions.

In 1992, the Federation of Trade Unions of the Kazakh SSR was renamed the Federation of Trade Unions of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The Federation unites the trade unions of Kazakhstan and carries out activities in the fields of workplace health and safety, social partnership, gender and youth policy, etc. It cooperates with a number of international organizations (the International Labor Organization, the International Trade Union Confederation, the Friedrich Elbert Foundation) and foreign trade unions.

Trade Union Day in Kazakhstan was created to highlight the important role of trade unions in the labor market and to stimulate the development of the trade union movement in the Kazakhstan. To celebrate the day, various seminars, round table discussions, conferences, rallies, meetings with young employees, fairs, charity events, sports competitions, and other events are held throughout the country.

In addition, on the occasion of Trade Union Day, veterans and distinguished members of the trade union movement are awarded with medals, certificates and letters of gratitude. At many enterprises, new members are formally admitted to trade unions on this day.

Alongside Trade Union Day, Kazakhstani trade unions celebrate other labor-related holidays, for example, Labor Day, which is observed in Kazakhstan on the last Sunday of September, as well as industry-specific professional holidays relevant to a particular trade union.