Kazakhmys commented on metallurgists' protest letter

Kazakhmys Corporation commented the metallurgists' protest letter to the company's chairman Eduard Ogai, Tengrinews.kz reports. In the letter the employees complain about the company's payment system and talk about frustration from "oppression and humiliations from management". Kazakhmys confuted the statement that the letter had been ignored. The company's message states that the employees' letter was dated November 2011 and the corporation's management "have responded immediately". "The statements on alleged repressions are not true either. There were no unrests at Zhezkazgan copper plant after the said letter," the corporation said. Besides, Kazakhmys stated that an awareness campaign was held for the company's employees to explain implementation of the new payment system. "The personnel was informed on the schedule of activities for implementation of the new system. For objective reasons it takes time to cover all the categories of employees in the multi-thousand personnel company. Certification for confirmation of qualifications started at Kazakhmys in the beginning of this week. Upon completion of the certification the employees who successfully pass their qualification tests will be switched to the new payment system. This initiative is aimed at improving the employees' welfare," the company's message state. Earlier Tengrinews.kz English reported that the protest letter was signed by 502 metallurgists. The employees complained about the management's not increasing of salaries of workers who make 60-70 thousand tenge ($400-$500) a months, while the management's wages were raised.