A protest took place in Dublin on the 12th of August in solidarity with striking oil workers in Kazakhstan who are engaged in a 3 month long strike against Kazmuniagas.
The protest took place at the Esso garage in Ranelagh. Esso’s parent company ExxonMobil is involved in a joint venture with Kazmuniagas. The protest was joined by Member of the European Parliament, Paul Murphy and Fingal County Councillor, Ruth Coppinger, as well as other trade union and student union activists. Many passers-by took leaflets, spoke to those on the demonstration and expressed their support for the campaign.
In their struggle for trade union rights and negotiations over the implementation of a wage agreement, they have faced massive repression and intimidation. Hundreds of workers have now been fired. Their lawyer has been imprisoned for six years for “stirring up social conflict”. The police and riot police have been used against the strikers as well as the company’s security. One of the key trade union activists has now been murdered.
The protest fully supported the demands of the striking workers, calling for an end to state repression against the workers, the release of their lawyer Natalia Sokolova and trade union activist Akhzanat Aminiv. The protest also fully supported the demand that all those workers who have been fired are reinstated on their former contracts.
The protest also commended those in the trade union movement in Ireland who have expressed their support and solidarity for the striking workers.
Here is some of the coverage the protest got:
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