Kokshetau Bus Drivers Refuse to Work Over Low Pay

Kokshetau residents were left without bus service after drivers refused to begin their routes over low pay and delayed salaries, Orda.kz reports, citing KTK.

Is 200,000 tenge really a salary? If I take a vacation, they will make deductions even from that amount. We want our pay to reflect the work we do,driver Yesengelda Kairbekov said.

Drivers and conductors had been waiting for their salaries for a week. The bus company said the delay occurred because the city Akimat had not transferred its subsidies on time. The public funds are used to pay salaries and taxes, while the company’s own revenue is barely enough to cover spare parts and diesel fuel.

On the 10th, I waited until 5 p.m. for the subsidies. I kept telling everyone, ‘We’re waiting, waiting, waiting,’ but the money never came. That is what caused this emotional outburst,bus company director Oleg Agoev said.

After the drivers and conductors refused to work, officials promised to transfer the subsidies that same day.

The question of higher salaries remains unresolved. The bus company supports the employees’ demands but says any increase depends on public funding. The Akimat promised to determine by July 21 whether more money could be allocated.

Original author: Ruslan Loginov

Read also:

• Where Are Incomes Highest in Kazakhstan After Almaty?
• Kazakhstan’s Average Salary Rose, But Real Incomes Continued To Fall
• Half of Kazakhstanis Earn Less Than $1,000 a Month