Latest news with #GeorgyFilimonov
Bloomberg
23-05-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Tycoon Mordashov's Local Spat Signals Changing Elite in Russia
Alexey Mordashov, one of Russia's richest men, has found an unexpected adversary in the governor of the region where his steelmaker, Severstal PJSC, operates, the latest illustration of the waning power of the country's tycoons that's been accelerated by the invasion of Ukraine. Vologda region Governor Georgy Filimonov has appeared to target the steelmaker while engaging in what he described as a ' Beavis and Butt-Head '-style back-and-forth with the billionaire in an interview with the RBC newspaper, a reference to the American cartoon from the 1990s. He introduced a ban on the hiring of migrants for construction, only to reverse course when Severstal complained that would threaten projects in the region, and made headlines calling for a physical fight on a Japanese tatami mat.
Reuters
07-03-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Russian governor backs down on migrant labour ban after corporate outcry
MOSCOW, March 7 (Reuters) - The governor of a Russian region has lifted a ban on migrant workers in the construction industry just over a week after it was announced, following outcry by steel giant Severstal ( opens new tab that the restrictions would harm industry. An explanatory note to the decree retracting the ban, signed by Governor Georgy Filimonov on Thursday, said an analysis of employment vacancies in the Vologda region northwest of Moscow had found there were not enough working-age Russian citizens to fill all the open jobs. The reversal by lawmakers comes after Severstal, a major employer in the region, slammed the ban in a rare public clash between politicians and major business interests, exposing tensions in Russia as its economy struggles with a widespread shortage of labour. Unemployment in Russia stands at 2.4%, near a record low, as heavy recruitment by the armed forces and defence industries has siphoned workers away from civilian enterprises, while hundreds of thousands of Russians have left the country since President Vladimir Putin sent his army into Ukraine in 2022. Russia has traditionally relied on migrant labour, mostly from Central Asia, to plug employment gaps and grow its economy. But some of those workers, who number roughly 6 million in the country, have described towards them in Russia since Islamist militants from Tajikistan killed 145 people at a concert venue near Moscow last year. Filimonov did not state the grounds for the migrant ban, but has publicly questioned why businesses cannot recruit local workers. A spokesperson for Severstal said the company needs to hire at least 2,168 workers before 2027 for the new iron ore factory in Cherepovets, a major city, where it intends to invest over 120 billion roubles ($1.35 billion) this year. After the ban went into effect, the company posted a recruitment notice for 600 vacancies in the Vologda region alone. ($1 = 88.9000 roubles)
Reuters
28-02-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Russia's Severstal warns of construction risks as region bans migrant labour
MOSCOW, Feb 28 (Reuters) - Russian steelmaker Severstal ( opens new tab on Friday slammed a decision by a regional governor to ban migrant workers in the construction industry and said the move could cause serious harm to industrial projects. The company reacted swiftly and sharply to the ban, announced in a decree on Thursday by Georgy Filimonov, governor of the Vologda region northwest of Moscow. The rare public clash between a powerful regional politician and a major business highlights Russia's reliance on migrant workers and the difficulties that companies are facing as the country grapples with a widespread shortage of labour. "Such measures jeopardise the implementation of dozens of construction projects, both in the region's industrial and social spheres," Severstal said in a statement on the ban. It said the move would "seriously complicate" its plan to build a low-pollution iron ore factory in Cherepovets, a major city in the region, where it plans to invest over 120 billion roubles ($1.36 billion) this year, and could jeopardise a contract with a Chinese supplier. Heavy recruitment by the armed forces and defence industries has drawn workers away from civilian enterprises, and hundreds of thousands of Russians have left the country since President Vladimir Putin sent his army into Ukraine in 2022. With unemployment at a record low of 2.3%, Putin has flagged labour shortages as a major economic problem. Filimonov, the Vologda governor, did not state the grounds for the migrant ban, but he has publicly questioned why businesses cannot recruit local workers. Migrant workers from Central Asia have described growing hostility towards them in Russia since Islamist militants from Tajikistan attacked the Crocus City Hall, a concert venue near Moscow, killing 145 people, in March 2024. Nationalist politicians are ratcheting up rhetoric against foreigners and pushing legislation that impacts the lives of migrants working in Russia or those wanting to do so. Filimonov in October published a video showing workers putting the finishing touches to a new, life-sized statue of Soviet-era leader Josef Stalin. Videos previously published by Filimonov demonstrate an affinity for Soviet leaders, and photographs of secret police chiefs Lavrentiy Beria and Felix Dzerzhinsky hang on the walls of his office. He has dubbed a painting of himself shaking hands with Stalin, which hangs in his reception room, as "conceptual". Severstal said its repeated efforts to engage with the regional administration had been rebuffed. "Instead of constructive interaction, we were confronted with the distortion of facts, manipulation and a refusal to comply with agreements already reached," Severstal said. ($1 = 88.4500 roubles)
