Illegal Migrants Are Driving Ukrainians Out of Work

Over sixty Turkey citizens illegally worked for the Odeski Drizhdzhi [Odesa Yeast] Co. during the last three years. This came out during an operation conducted by the Odesa SBU together with the Ministry of Internal Affairs and oblast employment center. The Turkish citizens worked without appropriate job licenses in Ukraine under the guise of consultants inspecting the enterprise’s activity. Simultaneously, the number of Ukrainian citizens working at the Odeski Drizhdzhi fell every year. During the raid it was revealed that citizens of Turkey Arslan Serdal, 23 years old, and Alparslan Erjan, 27 years old (both natives of Erjinjan Otlubeli) worked illegally for this enterprise. They both first came to Ukraine in October 2002 to work at a joint venture as a technologist and mechanical engineer. However, they did not turn to the corresponding authorities to obtain a license for job placement in Ukraine. To prolong their visa term, they left to Turkey for a short time. In May 2003 the foreigners came back to Odesa to the Odeski Drizhdzhi Ltd. joint venture. In the words of representatives of the inspecting bodies, through such job placement abroad Turkish citizens often try to avoid military service in their own country. Now measures will be applied to the foreigners who illegally place their fellow countrymen in Ukraine’s territory, as well as the alleged experts- inspectors themselves, in accordance with the law of Ukraine On the Legal Status of the Foreigners, up to reducing the term of their stay in Ukraine and further deportation.