There are 530 trade union organisations in Kazakhstan, uniting around 2.9 million workers. The Ministry of Labour and Social Protection of the Population of the Republic of Kazakhstan, together with its social partners, continues working to improve labour legislation, develop collective bargaining and strengthen mechanisms for protecting workers’ rights. Trade Union Day is celebrated in the country on 10 October.
The trade union organisations include 4 national trade union associations, 54 sectoral unions, 25 territorial associations and 447 local unions. They represent workers’ interests in dealings with employers and government agencies and take part in collective bargaining and in discussing legislative initiatives in the social and labour sphere.
The practical importance of trade unions lies above all in issues that directly affect workers’ lives: pay and occupational safety, working hours and rest, social guarantees and the resolution of labour disputes. Through their representatives, workers can take part in discussing working conditions and securing the employer’s commitments in a collective agreement.
The Ministry of Labour pays particular attention to developing collective bargaining and digitalising these processes. As of 1 August 2026, 19,683 collective agreements had been digitised in the country – 11,000 more than in the same period last year. Collective agreements make it possible to establish additional guarantees on pay, vocational training, occupational safety and social support for workers. Digitalisation helps to systematise information and improve monitoring of the parties’ compliance with their obligations.
