KTZ Workers in Beineu Claim Intimidation After Complaints About Working Conditions

KTZ workers in the Mangystau region say they were threatened after raising concerns about poor workwear and unsafe conditions, Orda.kz reports.

Employees of the Beineu railway section recorded a video message alleging that they faced pressure following their complaints about labor rights violations, according to Base.

The workers claim that at a meeting to discuss their concerns, the union chairman and the track superintendent brought along several men they describe as criminal figures. These individuals allegedly threatened the employees after the meeting, warning them to “stay quiet.”

The workers are demanding the dismissal of Yernazar Izturganov, director of the Mangystau branch of the KTZ mainline network, and other managers they believe were involved. They insist that the intimidation campaign was organized at higher levels of management.

According to the railway workers, this kind of pressure is not new. They say labor protests in the region have often been suppressed with the involvement of criminal groups. Locals name Alibek Narbekov, known as “Aliba,” a previously convicted figure for organized crime and corporate raiding, as the one overseeing the Mangystau area.

Workers claim that after his arrival, all strikes in the region inexplicably stopped.

KTZ responded by calling the incident an internal dispute and said it had sent a task force to investigate.

According to available information, the situation is internal and related to a misunderstanding between individual employees and the regional branch’s management. Company management is monitoring the situation,
 the company said in a statement.

KTZ added that it would make organizational decisions once the internal inquiry is complete, in accordance with labor laws and internal procedures.

Meanwhile, workers continue to insist that the issue is not a “misunderstanding,” but an attempt to silence those demanding safer conditions.

Original Author: Alina Pak