After a strenuous two-year ordeal, the Trade Union of Fuel and Energy Industry Workers in Kazakhstan managed to register a branch of its union in the city of Almaty on September 1. This victory for the union movement is significant as registration procedures are complex and serve to prevent the creation of free and independent unions. The justice departments of the Almaty and Atyrau regions have often suspended the registration process of Unions without providing any explanations or claiming irregularities in paperwork. The barriers to registering union branches in Kazakhstan have been brought before the International Labour Organization (ILO) Committee on the Application of Standards (CAS) at least five times in the past six years. Leaders of the union movement in Kazakhstan recognize the importance of the victory in Almaty and demand further progress on freedom of association and protection of the right to organize from Kazakh authorities.

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