On October 9, about fifty migrant workers from Tajikistan and Uzbekistan held a strike in St. Petersburg. According to the Russian trade union activists, majority of striking migrants, most of who worked as janitors, were legal immigrants.

These people went on strike to defend their rights and get their salaries that they haven’t received for two months.

Human rights activists say that in Russia and Kazakhstan, where a great number of workers from neighboring Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan go to earn for living, labors migrants have to struggle much to defend their rights. Any attempt to claim their rights may result in losing jobs, detention and deportation from the country, administrative fines, and other negative consequences.

Today problems of Central Asian migrant workers still remain vital in Russian society. Despite statements of independent observers that economy of Russia today would collapse without migrants, the Russian media is still full of scandalous TV shows and articles about migrants. Therefore, it happens quite often when migrants have to live in unfriendly environment in Russia.

“Jarayon” had a chance to interview Ekaterina Nazarshoeva, lawyer at the Russian anti-discrimination center “Memorial”, about Central Asian migrant workers and the problems they face in Russia.

Jarayon: Ekaterina, talking about the strike of janitorial workers in St. Petersburg, is the expression of dissatisfaction of migrants in this format is becoming a trend in Russia or it is still an exceptional case?

Nazarshoeva: As far as we know, this is an isolated case. Usually, migrant workers are afraid to express their discontent, as many of them do not have formal employment contracts. Therefore, strike of janitors on 9 October was held with the help of labor unions in St. Petersburg. Such an explicit manifestation of discontent for migrant workers is a risk, because it draws attention, including interest of the Federal Migration Service.

Jarayon: Recently, the Russian media has been talking a lot about migrants from Central Asia countries committing various crimes. Is this really a matter of fact or artificially exaggerated by journalists?

Nazarshoeva: Statistics show that in Russia the percentage of crimes committed by foreigners is very low – about 2.6 percent. Therefore, the opinion that migrants bring crime to Russia is artificially expanded by Russian journalists and by those who pay for such materials, as media can easily influence public opinion.

Often migrants have to commit crime, as they do not have rights, do not receive their salaries from employers, and have to apply for intermediary firms to get necessary documents, because the procedure is very complicated and to do it legally one has to wait in long queues of Federal Migration Service. And they cannot return home without money, as the economic situation in their countries is not good.

Jarayon: If Russian society has formed a negative attitude towards migrants, then maybe migrants themselves caused its reasons? In your opinion, what steps should be taken by migrants in order to change the attitude of Russian society towards them for the better?

Nazarshoeva: Maybe it is better to put the question another way: What the state – both of the host country and the country of origin – should do to change the attitude towards migrants in Russian society for better side? It is easy to put the blame only on migrant workers.

Migrants are vulnerable, being in a country where citizens break the law quite often, where there is a huge level of corruption, where it is very easy to fall into traps of fraudsters and criminals. Safety and security of foreign citizens are not guaranteed in Russia neither by their country of origin, not by the Russian Federation. Therefore, it is the obligation of both countries to create all the necessary conditions for the development of a healthy and safe labor migration.

Jarayon: In your opinion, what must be done by the Russian government at the legislative level for better integration of migrants into Russian society?

Nazarshoeva: For better integration of migrants, the government must facilitate the migration process, and ease the procedures of obtaining work permits and other required documents. The more the Russian government tightens immigration laws, the more opportunities there are for corruption and making cash on poor migrants.

The authorities must also ensure the rights of children of migrant workers; to make their stay in the Russian Federation legal at least for the duration of the work permit of their parents – for a year, rather than three months, as is the case now. The integration process goes faster if migrant children attend Russian schools, so they adapt quickly and involve parents in Russian culture.

Jarayon: Ekaterina, thank you for the interview.

Anti-discrimination center “Memorial” is based in St.Petersburg. The center advocates for the rights of discriminated people. The organization aims to overcome discrimination at state level, improve Russian anti-discriminatory laws, oppose racism and discrimination of all kinds in society, and promote tolerance in Russian society. ADC Memorial workers deal with human rights monitoring and activities, and provide legal and psychological help.