The upcoming implementation of the EU Whistleblowing Directive is a good occasion to take a closer look at the cultural implications of whistleblowing in Kazakhstan.
In Kazakhstan, workers are fully provided with mechanisms to protect their rights, but whistleblowing is not popular. Two reasons for this are explored below.
Сultural reasons
Historically, the mentality of the citizens of Kazakhstan has developed in such a way that whistleblowing is equated with a manifestation of weakness and, to some extent, betrayal or denunciation. Therefore, there are often cases when employees do not take any action to protect their rights. At the heart of this behaviour lies the submissiveness instilled by Soviet totalitarianism, which does not allow citizens to protest openly against employers' illegal actions. It should be noted that there is still a high proportion of workers of the Soviet generation in the labour market, who, in turn, instil a similar mindset in younger workers.
Legal reasons
The EU Whistleblower Directive does not apply to Kazakhstan. Kazakhstan law is structured in such a way that in order to protect their rights, employees must apply to the competent authorities, disclosing their name (anonymous complaints are not considered). At the same time, there is no protection mechanism for employees following a report.
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