Business and responsibility: forum in Kazakhstan.
On January, 24 President Nursultan Nazarbayev paid a working visit to the city of Jezkazgan to attend a business forum on social responsibility of business.
24 January 2006
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The forum attendees were representatives of Kazakhstan’s business structures, UNDP, MPs, akims and government members - over 160 of them all in all. The International Labour Organization was represented by Ms. Elaine Fultz, ILO Subregional Director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia.
The forum’s objective was to work out the rules of business’ social responsibility based on international experience.
N.Nazarbayev called the businesses’ leaders for more work for better labor conditions and strict observance of safety rules. We are in the first place legally and morally responsible for the people’s life and health, - the stressed.
“The state, in terms of social responsibility, performs its functions, and now it’s up to the business to do the same, President said. “Given that it is important in the first place to adopt principles of corporate social responsibility. That is what this forum is for.”
The state leader urged the business to demonstrate more responsibility in social and labour relations, to improve collective bargaining mechanisms. It concerns salaries, safety at work, professional training and career development of their employees. Business should be actively involved in construction of social objects and in the regions’ development, he said.
Labour and social protection minister Berdibek Saparbayev observed some inconsistency of business in defining social indicators, like in oil and gas complex where gaps persist in wages to foreign and local staff. Another challenge is the remaining high level of occupational accidents.
The minister proposed to work out a code of business’ social responsibility and to hold a national campaign entitled “Conclude a collective agreement”. The minister also suggested developing the key indicators to assess corporate social responsibility.
Azat Peruashev, “Atameken” chairman brought up the need to stimulate small and medium-scale business’ political involvement.
Elaine Fultz, ILO Subregional Director, spoke highly of the Kazakhstan government’s efforts to promote corporate social responsibility. She outlined ILO approach to CRS and the ILO’s contribution to the Global Compact. She described how CSR was incorporated into the recently signed Decent Work Country Programme for Kazakhstan. Elaine Fultz also touched upon the issue of membership in employer associations, saying that ILO advocates voluntary membership. In Europe 12 national chambers have mandatory membership, while 22 have optional membership. The second category includes the Russian Federation, Ukraine, and the Czech Republic.
The forum concluded with signing of an agreement between the labour and social protection ministry and socially oriented business structures on promotion of the UN Global Compact principles concerning social and labour relations. The document was signed by RK employers’ Confederation, ENRC, Kazakhstan commodity producers’ and exporters’ union.
(by Kazakhstanskaya Pravda)
The forum’s objective was to work out the rules of business’ social responsibility based on international experience.
N.Nazarbayev called the businesses’ leaders for more work for better labor conditions and strict observance of safety rules. We are in the first place legally and morally responsible for the people’s life and health, - the stressed.
“The state, in terms of social responsibility, performs its functions, and now it’s up to the business to do the same, President said. “Given that it is important in the first place to adopt principles of corporate social responsibility. That is what this forum is for.”
The state leader urged the business to demonstrate more responsibility in social and labour relations, to improve collective bargaining mechanisms. It concerns salaries, safety at work, professional training and career development of their employees. Business should be actively involved in construction of social objects and in the regions’ development, he said.
Labour and social protection minister Berdibek Saparbayev observed some inconsistency of business in defining social indicators, like in oil and gas complex where gaps persist in wages to foreign and local staff. Another challenge is the remaining high level of occupational accidents.
The minister proposed to work out a code of business’ social responsibility and to hold a national campaign entitled “Conclude a collective agreement”. The minister also suggested developing the key indicators to assess corporate social responsibility.
Azat Peruashev, “Atameken” chairman brought up the need to stimulate small and medium-scale business’ political involvement.
Elaine Fultz, ILO Subregional Director, spoke highly of the Kazakhstan government’s efforts to promote corporate social responsibility. She outlined ILO approach to CRS and the ILO’s contribution to the Global Compact. She described how CSR was incorporated into the recently signed Decent Work Country Programme for Kazakhstan. Elaine Fultz also touched upon the issue of membership in employer associations, saying that ILO advocates voluntary membership. In Europe 12 national chambers have mandatory membership, while 22 have optional membership. The second category includes the Russian Federation, Ukraine, and the Czech Republic.
The forum concluded with signing of an agreement between the labour and social protection ministry and socially oriented business structures on promotion of the UN Global Compact principles concerning social and labour relations. The document was signed by RK employers’ Confederation, ENRC, Kazakhstan commodity producers’ and exporters’ union.
(by Kazakhstanskaya Pravda)