McDonald’s Appeals Fine for Hiring Illegal Migrant in Russia

Fast food giant McDonald’s has lodged an appeal with Russia’s highest commercial court against a fine imposed for employing an illegal immigrant. The company was fined 300,000 rubles ($9,100) by the Federal Migration Service after one of its restaurants hired a woman from Kyrgyzstan who did not have a work permit. The American-owned chain is taking its case to Russia’s Supreme Court of Arbitration after an initial appeal was rejected by the Moscow arbitration court in April. The Moscow court rejected McDonald’s defense that the woman had claimed in documents to be a Russian citizen, saying that the material had been added to company files after she was detained. Two lower courts had already upheld the judgment against the company. Anti-migrant sentiment has increased in Russia in the past 10 years in reaction to a huge influx of migrant workers from the North Caucasus and Central Asia. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin promised repeatedly to take a tough stance on immigration to the capital during his recent successful election campaign.

http://en.ria.ru/russia/20131217/185613013/McDonalds-Appeals-Fine-for-Hiring-Illegal-Migrant-in-Russia.html

Deputy PM: 38 mln Russians Work Illegally

Half of Russia's employable population is engaged in the shadow sector of the economy, according to Deputy Prime Minister Olga Golodets. Eighty-six million people are employed in various economic sectors, of which only 48 million are said to be working in legitimate businesses. "We don’t understand where and how the rest are employed," Golodets told a conference at Moscow’s Higher School of Economics. "Our labor market is practically illegitimate, with only a tiny sector functioning under transparent rules," she added. “With the shadow sector this large, we have lack of funding for all our social costs,” Golodets pointed out, adding that Russia is at least 20 years behind other countries on the international labor market in terms of the level of employment. It’s hoped that the problem could be solved with a new law defining professional standards in Russia. According to the World Bank, Russia’s shadow economy is 3.5 times bigger than in other G8 countries, with ineffectiveness of public administration and tax evasion holding back the country’s economic and political advancements.

http://rt.com/business/labor-market-shadow-economy-270/
http://www.echo.msk.ru/blog/echomsk/1045218-echo/ (video)