News

A workshop on information and communication as the tools for trade union campaigns has been held by the UNI Moscow office for the Communication Workers Trade Union of Kazakhstan (RUCWK) on the 18-19th of November. During the workshop the main challenges, faced by RUCWK, and the organizing strategies of the trade union were also discussed.



The Communication Workers Trade Union of Kazakhstan is one of the biggest UNI affiliates in the countries of the Eastern Europe and Central Asia. Despite the economic crisis, the trade union continues to defend efficiently the rights of the trade union members through collective bargaining.



The social dialogue with the JSC “Kazpost”, and with the OJSC “Kazakhtelecom” provides a firm foundation for the structural and financial strengthening of the trade union, especially for the organizing in the new operators in the Telecom sector. The modernization of the trade union structure is under way now. There were separate regional trade union organizations in Post and Telecom, until recently. Now the RUCWK is forming the united, communication workers TU organizations in each region.



“The unified organizations will be more capable to hold organizing activities” – the chair of the RUCWK Ualsher Baisariev has pointed out.



The top priority target for organizing is GSM Kazakhstan – the most important mobile phone company in Kazakhstan, controlled by Telia Sonera AB via Fintur Holdings.



Raising trade union capacity to hold campaigns is very important for the RUCWK, and that was the main goal of the workshop, provided by UNI MO staff. “The commitment of the TU activists and staff to master the campaigning tools, especially the web instruments, and to implement them into their trade union activity is evident. The TU is now elaborating its web site, with a support from UNI, and I’m sure, that it will be very useful” – says UNI MO coordinator Grigory Ovsyannikov.