By Vestnik Kavkaza
The campaign against illegal migrants continues. MPs of the Moscow City Duma present to the State Duma several amendments to federal laws to stiffen the responsibility of foreign citizens for working illegally in transport companies.
The chairman of the Moscow City Duma Commission on Laws, Alexander Semennikov, says that at the first session after the parliamentary vacations the Moscow City Duma adopted an act on drafting a federal law: “We have used our right to a federal legislative initiative and presented to our colleagues in the State Duma a draft for consideration. It touches on amendments to several laws, the Federal Administrative Code, the laws On Immigration Regulation and On Foreign Citizens in the RF. The law is devoted to issues of migration policy; and it is symbolic – at the first session after the mayoral elections in Moscow.”
According to Semenikov, all six candidates to the mayor’s position paid significant attention to migration problems in their programs: “According to social polls, talks with people and Moscow residents, the problems of migration policy are the acutest for citizens, and they concern Moscow residents. So the appearance of the draft is symbolic. However, the draft was presented in July.”
“The situation is critical. We can see a social explosion which is very dangerous for major cities. Unfortunately, if we speak about specialization of drivers, there is a series of deformations,” the head of the Moscow City Duma Commission on Security, Inna Svetyanko, says. “We can see that a lot of non-citizens of Russia work in transport companies, mostly they are citizens from the CIS countries. And many residents fear for their security, because their driving manner is awful. In summer the head of the CIAD of Moscow paid attention to this and addressed the Moscow City Duma, presenting the statistics of traffic crimes committed by citizens of the CIS countries. In comparison with Russian citizens the share is 70/30. So, we had a lot to think about. He also raised other question, so we could have an opportunity to influence the situation.”
The deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on Nationalities, Valery Rashkin, supports Moscow legislators: “The law on labour visa will made entrepreneurs explain using foreign labour force on the territory of Moscow. And all other laws will begin to work.
The second law is economic – on doubling the insurance fee from employers, state employees or businessmen, it doesn’t matter from whom. We are Muscovites. If someone got sick. Where should he go? Should we pay for his treatment? A woman goes into a maternity clinic; translators are needed because she doesn’t know Russian; she shouts something, nobody can understand her. These are budgetary expenditures as well.
Today employers are not responsible for the living conditions of migrants. Five people sleep in one bed; there are viruses, insects, insanitary conditions. There are no communications, water, and so on. These problems can be solved as a set. The law on increasing insurance fees can help solve them. Then, it will work.”
