AKIPRESS.COM - Kazakhstan’s new trade union law, adopted after unresolved labor strikes in 2011, has made it more difficult to organize independent unions in the country, Human Rights Watch said in a report.

Changes to the labor and criminal codes have contributed to an environment hostile to worker activism.

The 69-page report, “‘We Are Not The Enemy’: Violations of Workers’ Rights in Kazakhstan,” details the significant legal and practical obstacles workers in Kazakhstan must overcome to organize and defend their interests in the workplace, said HRW.

Human Rights Watch said it interviewed more than 50 trade union leaders, labor activists, and workers in key industries across Kazakhstan, and documented harassment, surveillance, and, in some cases, spurious legal prosecution or dismissals in apparent retaliation for labor activism.

"The Kazakh government should take immediate steps to lift restrictions on workers’ rights and the ability to organize," the statement said.