Labor Ministry Responds to Demands Made by Former Qaratau Phosphorus Plant Employees

Former employees of the liquidated Qaratau OJSC are demanding compensation from Kazphosphate LLP,  Orda.kz reports.

Perneshbai Turlybekov and Natalya Karatayeva claim that they have been seeking decent payments for 26 years, but have still not received compensation for damage to health and loss of income.

According to them, appeals to the president are ignored, and the attempt to organize a march on Astana was stopped by the police.

Back in 2018, by order of the Ministry of Labor, a working group was created to solve our problems. In 2021, the Jambyl Regional Court resumed bankruptcy proceedings in the Qaratau case and set monthly payments from 10.6 to 70 thousand tenge. While Article 28 of the Constitution guarantees payments no lower than the minimum wage in case of disability, said Perneshbay Turlybekov and Natalya Karatayeva, who have been seeking compensation for 26 years.

The Ministry of Labor responded that most have already received payments: 

Former employees of Qaratau OJSC are receiving payments from the republican budget in accordance with the established procedure and on the basis of court decisions. Those who have not yet applied must submit an application to the Ministry of Labor and attach supporting documents.

Kazphosphate LLP has also commented: 

Kazphosphate LLP has no legal connection with Qaratau JSC and is not its legal successor. The absence of legal succession between the two enterprises is confirmed by the relevant explanations of the prosecutor's office and other government agencies.

Qaratau OJSC, once a leading phosphorite producer, was declared bankrupt in 1999 and struck from the state register in 2003.

Original Author: Zarina Fayzulina