Mothers in the unemployment-plagued Kazakh city of Zhanaozen have staged a protest demanding permanent jobs for their sons and loved ones.
Zhanaozen, located in Kazakhstan's southeastern Mangistau Province, is heavily dependent on its ailing oil industry. In 2011, it was the scene of mass anti-government demonstrations staged by oil workers that resulted in the deaths of at least 16 people when police opened fire on unarmed protesters.
The appeal said that many local men are afraid to approach government employment offices for work, and that those who do are often required to speak Russian. Protesting mothers said they are seeking assurances that their sons will not be taken away by police if they ask for jobs.
“We are sending this appeal to you because we, residents of the city of Zhanaozen, have been without work for several years," a group made up predominantly of mothers said as they read out their appeal to local officials. "But their answer is: 'There are no jobs.'"
As the mothers made their appeal outside the government building in Zhanaozen, several hundred former oil industry employees gathered in front of the nearby offices of OzenMunaiGas, a subsidiary of the state energy operator KazMunaiGas, which has come under criticism from labor-rights watchdogs for its treatment of workers.
The laid-off oil workers demanded jobs with the gas giant OzenMunaiGas and continued their demonstration into the morning of April 5.
A representative of the city administration, Galym Baizhanov, told RFE/RL that the issues of the city residents were being considered and that local lawmakers have been meeting with them regularly.
On April 3, the provincial government issued a statement stressing the need "to preserve existing and create new jobs," while backtracking on earlier statements by government officials that it was "impossible to employ all the inhabitants of the region in the oil and gas industry."
Demonstrations staged over six days in the village of Zhetybai in Mangistau Province ended on April 2 after protesters said they had received written assurances that their demands for jobs had been met.
