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Duma Supports Russian Traders
The Russian State Duma passed the first reading of amendments to the laws “On the Legal Status of Foreign Citizens in the Russian Federation” and “On the Organization of Activity at Retail Markets” to set a quota on migrant workers. Parliamentarians have thus fulfilled Russian President Vladimir Putin's instruction to “protect the rights of the native population of Russia,” issued at the height of the tensions between Russia and Georgia.
Amendments concerning the status of foreigners set a quota on workers from countries whose citizens can enter Russia without a visa. Limitations already exist on the number of workers allowed in Russia from countries whose citizens subject to visa control. The amendments affect mainly citizens of the CIS. Of the CIS member states, only citizens of Georgia and Turkmenistan require visas to enter Russia. The number of foreign workers to be allowed in Russia was set by a government decree last month – 309,000 workers from “visa” countries and 6 million from “non-visa” countries. The amendments also establish criteria for the Federal Migration Service to allow migrants to work. Among those criteria are specialty, level of qualification, country of origin and the local socio-economic conditions on the market where the migrant intends to work. Kommersant has learned that those criteria are to be supplemented in 2008 by a list of specialists needed in the Russian economy and expanded criteria to take age and health factors into consideration. Those supplements will be developed by the Ministries of Economic Development and Trade and of Health and Social Development.
The second set of amendments sets an 80-percent limit on foreigners working in Russian open markets and creates the concept of a “management company” to replace the market director. That company will regulate the allotment of space in the market. Fines of up to 8000 conditional minimum wages are imposed for violations of norms.
The amendments, which the Russian president had wanted drafted by November 15, were received with a mixed reaction yesterday. Independent Duma member Vladimir Ryzhkov noted that “one-sixth of the economic growth in Russia is provided by foreigners… Quotas will be harmful for Russia. They are the path to chaos and corruption.” Moscow Mayor Yury Luzhkov did not wait for federal legislation and imposed a 50-percent quota on workers in Moscow bazaars, which has led to a labor shortage in them.
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All the Article in Russian as of Dec. 07, 2006
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