Over 100 workers go on strike demanding higher wages in Western Kazakhstan

More than one hundred employees of Techno Trading LLP refused to continue working in demand of an increase in wages, Tengrinews reports citing Lada.

Techno Trading LLP repairs drilling pipes and services virtually all the oil fields around Zhetybai village in Mangistau Oblast in western Kazakhstan.

According to the workers, their average monthly salary at the enterprise amounts to 120 thousand tenge, which roughly equals to 660 USD. One of the workers at the enterprise, Salavat Dzhangaliev spoke about the current situation. He said that the workers have repeatedly approached their leadership to ask for benefits, an increase in the wages, and an improvement in the working conditions.

"We work indoors, breathe in toxic vapors. They do not consider us oil worker. But we touch oil with our own hands. All these pipes, we repair them manually. We get 100 thousand tenge, 120 thousand tenge sometimes. While oilmen are paid 400-450 thousand. Well, yes, we understand that their work is hard,” Dzhangaliev said.

The despair was easily noticeable in his words, when he continued in bitter irony: “Yesterday we asked the authorities: are we oil workers? They answered negatively. Then who are we - a garment factory?”

The company's management has already agreed to increase the salaries of its employees. "The director of our company has decided to increase the wages by 20 percent. I showed the order to the people. They must understand that the company is privately owned. This is all the increase we can offer them right now," said the head of oil tubing repairs department Yesepkep Medeu.

The workers, however, do not agree to these terms and do not intend to go back to work.