The necessity of providing pensions to Tajik labor migrants by employers is one of the key issues of the Sixth Tajik-Russian Inter-Parliamentary Forum entitled “Tajikistan-Russia: Potential of Inter-Region Collaboration,” which is going on in Moscow.
Tajik nationals have travelled to the Russian Federation for seasonal works since the early 1990s. Many of them have already reached the age of eligibility for a pension but the nations have not yet reached an agreement on this subject.
Every year, hundreds of thousands of Tajik nationals travel to Russian seeking better employment opportunities.
Deputy Minister of Labor, Migration and Employment of Population of Tajikistan, Nurullo Mahmadullozoda, says issues related to provision of pensions to Tajik labor migrants working in the Russian Federation has been discussed for years. “But it will not be solved today; we are just moving towards this goal.” Mahmadullozoda told Asia-Plus in an interview on Octobe 26.
Under the Russian legislation, you can apply for an old age pension only if you have residence permit and at least 15 years of pensionable service. Meanwhile, the majority of our labor migrants are working in Russia illegally, and therefore, they cannot apply for a pension
Taking into consideration these consequences, many local experts say that signing of an agreement on pension insurance will not give real results and the issue of labor migrants’ access to the funded pension system will remain open.
Many of labor migrants having patents may also be left out.
