Striking Construction Workers Arrested in Qostanay

A court in Qostanay has ordered the administrative arrest of several construction workers who staged a protest at a building site, Orda.kz reports.

The protest stemmed from a labor dispute over unpaid wages. While the workers were ultimately compensated, authorities stated that they violated the law governing public assemblies and were penalized accordingly.

Instead of contacting the relevant government agencies and resolving the issue through legal channels, a group of workers organized an unauthorized action, for which they were held accountable. As a result, the organizer and participants were found guilty by the court and sentenced to one day of administrative arrest. the Qostanay Region Police Department said in a statement. 

The construction company involved, “Elena D,” responded to the incident, claiming it was not directly responsible for the unpaid wages.

The workers who demand money should demand it from the contractor we hired. We paid the contractor the agreed amount. The workers had a separate agreement with the contractor, so they should demand it from them. Like any construction company, we subcontract work like facade installation, landscaping, and simply for windows,said Bayaman Taalaibek, head of the company’s sales department 

Attempts to contact the contractor for comment were unsuccessful.

According to reports, the contractor left the site quickly following the incident, along with the striking workers and local government representatives.

Original Author: Ninel Zabludina