Qostanay Region: Workers Without Pay for Almost a Year

Zarechnoye Agricultural Experimental Station workers have not received their wages since January. The company owes them more than 230 million tenge, Orda.kz reports.

Employees are convinced that the once-successful enterprise is being deliberately led to bankruptcy.

Resident Lyazzat Bisenova, who worked as a calf-keeper in Zarechny for more than 20 years, was forced to quit.

She had only three years until retirement. She says neither the research staff nor the milk aids see their salaries. 

They sold milk all summer, how can you say there is no profit?! They could have given people at least a little money. In the end, the milk aids left, and the calves are given water to drink, the cows are not milked. They built a milk pipeline for 23 million, who did they build it for? Lyazzat Bisenova says. 

"Zarechnoye" is part of the structure of the Scientific and Educational Center NAO. It is a single operator for interaction between scientific and educational institutions of the agricultural sector, the state, and business.

The enterprise is engaged in producing grain and oilseed seeds, as well as livestock and crop farming.

The harvest was not even collected this year and remained under the snow.

People hoped that the sale of products would make it possible to pay salaries, but their expectations were not met.

I have been working as a research assistant since the 90s. We used to be famous throughout the country for our successes, but in recent years, tax and pension payments have stopped coming in, and since January, salaries have stopped coming, says senior researcher, Zinagul Agibayeva.

The enterprise director did not delve into explanations, speaking of poor health. After talking with officials, he left his office in a hurry. 

Meanwhile, Yerlan Temirkhan, head of the labor inspection department, claims that the enterprise systematically violates workers’ rights.

Since 2021, the company has been at high risk. It constantly commits delays in salary payments. Every year we conduct professional oversight here. This year we conducted four inspections. As a result, the manager was held accountable and ordered to pay off the debt. We currently have three appeals in progress, one is collective. All measures will be taken during the inspection. Constant fines are an even greater burden for the company, he noted.

The Akimat assured that they would support the workers in every possible way. They also announced that after negotiations, the company promised to pay off part of the debt (125 million tenge) by November 25.

There are opportunities to pay off the wage debt by the end of the year. This is all at the legislative level and the level of the National Agrarian and Scientific Center, I think they will consider our proposals. For years, the company has been accumulating accounts payable, grain sales have not occurred on time, and optimization has not been carried out at the company. Because the company is small, and the team consists of 200 people, explained Kairat Abishev, Deputy Akim of the Qostanay region. 

Employees still fear losing their jobs along with their wages.

Original Author: Ninel Zabludina