FOREIGN LABOUR
MIGRATION: OLD AND NEW REALIAS
Instead of introduction
"To the chief of the Tajik railway
comrade Nuraliev M.O
from the people's deputy of RT Majlisi Oli
Majlisi Namoyandagon on Isfara electoral
Constituency #20 Savriddinova G.
"A group of citizens from Isfara district of Sughd viloyat
applied with a request to me, as a deputy, on rendering assistance
in their dispatch to Isfara. The gist of the question is: workers
from Chkalovsk firm "ABBAT" enlisted people who wished
to go to RF for earnings, they collected money for train tickets
Dushanbe-Moscow. All people took their places in the train going
from Konibodom to Dushanbe is an organized manner. At Sari Osiyou
station, Uzbekistan Republic, the persons who accompanied the
group disappeared. In Dushanbe nobody knows this group. There
were no tickets for Moscow. People remained in the street. They
can't go back to Isfara, they have no money. I ask to render
assistance in bringing the group of Isfara district residents
to Konibodom station."
I was passed a copy of this letter of the deputy of RT Majlisi
Oli Majlisi Namoyandagon by the deceived labouring migrants
who had returned to Isfara, they asked to promote a settlement
of the question of their money retrieval through press. Running
ahead I shall say that the young people were practically fortunate,
as having resorted to the help of the prosecutor's office they
managed to have back their so hard earned money assigned for
a trip to Russia.
One Had to Have Been Faced with the Deportation
to Think of Settling Internal Problems of Outward Labouring
Migration
Since the first
days of the terminations of the special operation in Moscow
on liberation of hostages in the House of culture, spectators
of "Nord -Ost" musical, and rigidity of passport-visa
regime in Russia newspapers were permeated with the publications
about the fate of Tajik migrants. When there began the deportation
of labouring migrants of Tajikistan from Russia MM managed to
heat the situation to such extent that the government could
not have helped to react to the events taking place. Beyond
doubts, the fact of our cocitizens' deportation was flagrants,
in entailed infringement of other people's rights. But there
was a reversed aspect of the question too - migrants themselves
also broke the laws of the country of sojourn. However, the
essence of the major part of publications lay in the fact that
justifying Tajikistan citizens they practically didn't touch
upon the law aspect of the problem. The unilateral notion was
formed: these migrants are so good and ungrateful Russians treat
them so badly.
Among the enormous bulk of materials it was difficult to find
an article with the analysis of the situation shaped under the
angle of the migrational service of the country of itself, an
article which would proceed from the assumption of the assessment
of that very "chaos" which was reigning for the last
years in the sphere of regulation related to illegal outward
labouring migration. But it is no new phenomenon in our society.
We confronted this problem since the first years of our independence
in the period of economy collapse a decade ago as a minimum.
Futile were the attempts to discover among this stream of publications
any commentaries or opinions on that occasion on the part of
the leaders of ministries and departments responsible for labouring
migration. A stamp of silence on their lips and imperturbable
composure for another decade at least. They had those on whom
the blame might be shoved. Here referred Russia, representatives
of migrational and law-enforcement bodies of Russia and Tajikistan,
ambitions Russian generals and nationalistically inclined political
figures. However it might be, the only thing inspired optimism
already - this problem was paid attention to.
At the beginning of the month passed, just after the deportation
of the first Tajik workers-migrants the conference-meeting of
the leaders of subdepartmental frameworks under the viloyat
governance office of labour and social issues was held in Sughd
viloyat Hukumat; high officials from the Ministry of labour
and social protection and the State migrational service of the
country were present. After all what had happened in the sphere
of outward labouring migration a constructive earnest and detailed
talk on the problems, drawbacks and the ways of their settlement
was expected to take place. But the expectations were not carried
into effect. The chief of the state migrational service T. Tabarov
told about the results of the ten days-visit of the working
group, meetings with the representatives of ministries and departments
of Russian Federation in Moscow. In particular, he informed
of having signed the Memorandum on cooperation between the ministries
of labour of our republic and Russia in the filed of socio-labouring
protection of citizens, the proceeded work on preparation of
the Agreement in this domain between the governments of the
two countries bound to be signed in March of the current year.
No one of those present put a single question. No questions
- no problems. The displayed non-solicitude, for the theme discussed,
mildly speaking, witnessed about a complete indifference of
the participants of the seminar represented by deputy mayors
of towns and chairmen of districts being in charge of these
issues and officers of enforcement frameworks. As if an ideal
situation reigned in this sphere that there was nothing to speak
about. One may seem that we have no unemployment associated
with induced illegal labouring migration, everlasting wanderings
of our citizens along the spaces of Russia in search of earnings,
that there are no numerous facts of people's right infringement.
Nobody memorized on that day about the murders of Tajiks beyond
the boundaries of the country, about Konibodom women who were
compelled to be converted into heads of families giving an errand
to their husbands of instead of mothers for children, about
tens of thousands of deceived labouring migrants both in Russia
and in Tajikistan itself.
