Meeting with Kumtor Trade Unions

published: 28 May 2021

At the initiative of Mr. Tengiz Bolturuk, Temporary External Manager of Kumtor Gold Company CJSC (“KGC”, “Company”), a meeting was held on May 27, 2021 in Bishkek between representatives of KGC trade unions and administration to discuss current and future aspects of operations, as well as issues related to the strengthening of social partnership between the Company and trade unions representing the interests of the Company employees.

During the meeting, issues concerning the need to ensure continuous operation of the Kumtor Mine, preservation of jobs, benefits and guarantees for KGC employees were discussed.

The trade union leaders familiarized themselves with the current situation in the Company and its plans for further work aimed at stabilizing the situation in terms of ensuring safe and efficient production at the Kumtor Mine and exchanged views on measures to protect the rights of employees.

They also touched upon the issues regarding the feasibility of uniting all the KGC trade unions into a single employee representative body, which will allow to create equal conditions for employees, as well as ensure further cooperation and interaction on matters affecting the interests of employees.

Tengiz Bolturuk articulated his wish to the trade unions to consolidate the efforts of trade unions for joint and constructive work to improve the living standards of employees and long-term and effective development of the Company.

As a result of the meeting, chairpersons of the trade unions expressed their willingness to carry out joint and coordinated work in the field of operational and labor relations. The trade unions announced their intention to hold employee meetings in the near future to create a single trade union on the basis of the existing 5 trade unions, which will be able, together with the new management, to bring the company to a new qualitative level of creative and collective work, and to be a role model for other mining companies in terms of compliance with international business standards.