Screenshot from video: Strike participants
The strike of approximately 200 miners in Satpayev, Ulytau region, Kazakhstan, has officially ended, according to the Kazakhmys Corporation's press service.
The workers agreed to the company’s earlier proposals, which included:
A 30% bonus to the 13th salary.
Introduction of quarterly bonuses.
An 8.5% salary indexation effective January 1, 2025.
In turn, the miners expressed readiness to fully resume operations at the Southern Zhezkazgan mine, as stated in the company’s announcement.
Nurakhmet Nuriyev, Chairman of the Board at Kazakhmys, emphasized that there are no claims against the workers who participated in the strike. The corporation also thanked all parties involved for their constructive dialogue and efforts in reaching a compromise.
Local activists confirmed to KazTAG that the miners had begun exiting the mine, where they had been staying for several days while awaiting positive negotiation outcomes.
The strike began on the evening of December 17, when over 200 Kazakhmys miners in Satpayev demanded their salaries be doubled. While the company announced an 8.5% salary increase starting in January 2025, the initial proposal did not satisfy the workers. The movement later gained support from miners at the Shatyrkol and Zhaysan deposits in the Zhambyl region. However, the strike in that area ended on the morning of December 20.
On the same day, shortly before the successful conclusion of negotiations between Kazakhmys management and the strikers, miners released a video appeal to President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. In the video, they claimed that the National Security Committee (NSC) was “intimidating” members of the initiative group.
Kazakhmys is a major metallurgical company in Kazakhstan, specializing in the extraction and processing of copper ore. It is one of the world’s leading copper producers. Seventy percent of its shares are owned by businessman Vladimir Kim (ranked No. 4 in the Forbes Kazakhstan list of the country’s 75 wealthiest individuals), with the remaining 30% owned by Eduard Ogay (ranked No. 13 on the same list).
