In a country where perceived corruption is one of the key barriers to international trade, it is not surprising that Russia’s Prime Minister, Vladimir Putin, has criticised a group of customs officials who posted a video on YouTube making light of the situation and celebrating the wealth that unofficially comes with their jobs.
The video, which looks like it took quite a bit of organisation to film, shows a group of customs officials in sunglasses and bling jewellery raping about their lavish lifestyles with a Rolls Royce in the background.
As the average custom official earns an average of £700 a month, the lavish lifestyles boasted about can only be funded by corruption.
Indeed, corruption amongst government officials is a widespread problem in Russia, with customs officials being named as the worst offenders by every day Russian citizens.
Putin met with the head of the Federal Customs Service to discuss the matter. No disciplinary action has been taken so far; however, the Prime Minister has condemned the way the video laughs at corruption.
He said: “Discipline is needed in several of the divisions; we have to raise it little.”
Under employment law in England and Wales, an employer is not obligated to have disciplinary procedures in place. However, it is considered good practice and employers are encouraged to adhere to the Acas Code of Practice on disciplinary and grievance procedures. If they don’t, an Employment Tribunal can penalise them if they end up having to defend a claim there.
The custom officials’ video is a good example of the conflict between private material being posted by individuals on the web and the need of employers to protect their reputation. Employers should make sure they have clear policies in place about posting work-related material online and the action they will take if employees disparage the company or organisation in anyway.
The customs officials may be facing written warnings or possibly even dismissal. Employees in the UK who find themselves in similar situations should ensure they read their employment contracts and employee handbooks thoroughly to see if their conduct is grounds for dismissal.
President Dmitry Medvedev sent a bill to Parliament on Wednesday the 16th February increasing the fines for officials caught taking bribes. The bill proposes increasing the fines to up to 100 times the size of the original bribe.
Commentating on the video, Putin said “this kind of creativity should be saved for a talent show.”
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