The QarazhanbasMunai Oil Company in Kazakhstan's western Manghystau Oblast today fired eight workers from among the dozens who have been on strike since May 17...The striking workers are demanding a pay rise and the lifting of restrictions on the activities of independent trade unions...[Last week] a trade union activist...was sentenced to eight days in jail for participating in the Qarazhanbas workers' protests...On May 26, 14 employees of another Manghystau energy giant, the OzenMunaiGaz Oil and Gas Company, started a hunger strike, and dozens of workers at two locations refused to go to work...demanding the revision of the collective contract between the company and the workers and changes to the pay scale.