The Trade Union of Kumtor files a suit against Kumtor Gold Company for a total amount of over 300 million soms. The Chairman of the Trade Union Kalysbek Ryspaev told.
According to him, the claims relate to the recalculation of payments to employees for the downtime in December 2019 — January 2020 as a result of movement of rock mass at the Kumtor mine, for the time the workers spent at sanitary observation points before rotational shifts during the pandemic in the summer of 2020, as well as for failure to comply with the requirements of the legislation on the passage of medical examinations.
«Legal disputes on these issues have been going on since the summer of 2020. Earlier, claims were made to the former management of the company in person of KGC President Deon Badenhorst, controlled by Centerra Gold Inc. But the current management of the company also refuses to comply with the requirements out of court. Therefore, in the interests of the workers, the Trade Union Committee of the KGC is forced to go to court,» Kalysbek Ryspaev said.
In addition, the Trade Union Committee is also going to sue the company for violation of the rights of workers to freedom of association, namely because of the ban for the chairman of the Trade Union to visit production facilities and refusal to deduct and transfer membership dues.
"On September 23, 2021, KGC JSC published an official statement on many issues of the company’s activities, raised by deputies of the Parliament of the Kyrgyz Republic, experts and media representatives. The presented material contains false information affecting the honor, dignity and business reputation of the chairman of the KGC Trade Union Committee Kalysbek Ryspaev. The press statement indicates that during the introduction of external management, he was on the side of Centerra Gold Inc., tried to agitate workers for illegal actions, called for a strike, intimidated workers that everyone would be fired and wages would be lowered. This is a blatant lie. There were no such statements and actions on the part of the chairman of the KGC Trade Union and could not have been. Therefore, Kalysbek Ryspaev decided to file a lawsuit to protect his business reputation as well. The Trade Union of KGK JSC always stands for stable, uninterrupted and safe production and calls on employees to perform their duties efficiently and responsibly and not to succumb to provocations. All amounts recovered from the company as a result of legal proceedings will be paid to the employees of Kumtor Gold Company CJSC, the message says.
The press service of Kumtor Gold Company notified earlier that Ramis Mambetaliev is the chairman of Kumtor Birimdigi Trade Union.
