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Translation of publicist’s post (RUS)

According to UN forecasts, the flow of migrant workers into Kazakhstan will grow steadily until 2050. But even today, migrant workers form a relatively large niche among Kazakhstan’s working population.

Migrant worker. The term is not clean-shaven. It doesn’t gleam with the whiteness of a starched collar. It doesn’t smell of expensive perfume. A migrant worker is a shabbily dressed individual with frightened eyes. He fears the cold, the police and dark streets patrolled by thugs with brass knuckles. He fears aggressive women at the bazaar, who suspect anyone of different ethnicity to be a thief or a terrorist. He is vulnerable from all sides because he has no rights; he is away form his native land; and he doesn’t know the laws of his new country.

Yet this doesn’t prevent people from traveling the world in search of a better fortune. No matter how much one gripes about “them coming to take our jobs,” there won’t be any less of “them.” Kazakhstan, according to a World Bank report, is ranked number nine among countries accepting migrant workers. The majority of them come from poorer countries in Central Asia – Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. What do these people hope for and how much do they actually earn?

Working Conditions and Wages of Migrant Workers

The main indicator of how migrant workers are treated in Kazakhstan is their total defenselessness before their employers. However much the employer wants to pay, that’s how much he pays. Migrant workers are that notorious labor force that will agree to any conditions. In Kazakhstan, they work without a lunch break and get paid 28% less than the average wage.

They have no labor contracts or trade unions, only oral agreements. Typically, the group elects a leader and hires a local “manager.” The manager looks for zakazhchiki, obtains temporary registration, places advertisements in the media and online. A common example: “Brigade of Uzbeks. We build anything. Quality and low prices guaranteed.” Managers typically pocket 10-25% of the total wage. Workers, who perform physically intense labor without weekends, holidays or breaks, earn 50,000-100,000 tenge per month, which is high by their standards.

It is a commonly known fact in Almaty and Astana that the best workers come from Uzbekistan, so during the summer season, when most construction and restoration work is underway, illegals can earn up to 150,000 tenge per month.

To be continued…